Black Mage of Kuoh
by Quatermass
Summary: Vivi Ornitier died after a short but fruitful life. Given the chance to live again, he reincarnates on Earth as Issei Hyoudou. Aware of the Three Factions and his Sacred Gear by the time he attends Kuoh, Issei will need to deal with enemies old and new, while coping with becoming one of Rias Gremory's Peerage...
1. Foreword

**FOREWORD**

With the impending release of _Final Fantasy IX_ on Steam, I wanted to do an update themed around my _Final Fantasy IX_ stories, albeit not exclusive to them. While I hadn't intended to post a new story, inspiration strikes in the oddest ways, and this was an idea that needed to be told, as a celebration of the release of my personal favourite _Final Fantasy_ game on Steam.

After the surprise success of _Fall to Zenith_ , my crossover between Harry Potter and _Highschool DxD_ , I wanted to do another fic of that crossover, but my next attempt, _Sympathy for the Devil_ , turned out crap, and I decided to abandon it. I was wavering about whether I should do a pure Highschool DxD fanfic, or another crossover with Harry Potter. If the former, I wanted a quiet, solemn, and serious Issei, partly inspired by the one in YagamiNguyen's Soundless Knight. But as I thought about it idly once, I realised, quiet, solemn, and serious fits one of the characters from Final Fantasy IX: Vivi.

Vivi kind of gets a raw deal in the game. He's only about six months or so old (despite acting like a much older child), and ends up dying after the game's events. Okay, yes, I spoiled that little part of the game, but it's over a decade old, the statute of limitations has run out on spoilers. Anyway, I had this weird notion of doing a type of fic that I had tried to do, but never really done before: a reincarnation fic. Considering one of my favourite _Highschool DxD_ fics is a reincarnation fic ( _Reborn as Issei_ by lfonzo, which has Issei being the reincarnation of Jiraiya from _Naruto_ ), it has some small merit.

Anyway, time for the usual disclaimers. Firstly, there will be spoilers for both _Highschool DxD_ , and _Final Fantasy IX_ , especially the latter.

Secondly, there will be annotations, heavy annotations, and bellyachers will be treated with all due contempt.

Thirdly, for language, violence, and sexual references (the latter is a given, as this IS _Highschool DxD_ after all), this is an M-rated work.

Finally, the following is a fan-written work. _Final Fantasy IX_ and _Highschool DxD_ are the properties of their respective owners. Please support the official release. Otherwise, Koneko will come around to your place and beat you up…


	2. Chapter 1: Vivi's New Life

**CHAPTER 1:**

 **VIVI'S NEW LIFE**

 _Some people live more in twenty years than others do in eighty. It's not the time that matters, it's the person._

 _-The Doctor, from_ Doctor Who: The Lazarus Experiment, _by Stephen Greenhorn_

 _Vivi Ornitier was dead. He had known the end was coming for some time. He had known since he had spoken to Number 288, the then-leader of the Black Mage Village. And that knowledge had prepared him for the inevitable._

 _Not that he was truly resigned to death by any means. Rather, that he knew it would happen, and soon. It was one of the reasons why he had worked with Mikoto, the Genome who was effectively Zidane's sister, to create what she called 'enhanced clones', but what he called his children. The few remaining Black Mages would be able to have children who could live longer, and indeed, grow into adulthood, hopefully without perishing._

 _In his dying moments, Vivi got one last surprise. Zidane, who had been missing since Kuja's defeat, had come to his deathbed. He was there when Vivi passed on. Vivi had looked up to the young Genome as a big brother, and given that Zidane had been made by Garland to be an 'Angel of Death', it was perversely fitting that he be there when Vivi died._

 _Death…it was like being swept along in a flood of memories. Having learned of the Crystal, and where life and memory returned to, he knew this was where he was going._

 _He wasn't expecting what came next._

* * *

 _When consciousness returned to him, he found himself in a small, cosy room that reminded him of the dining room of Eiko's house in Madain Sari. A large table, with a pair of chairs on it. Seated at one of them was…Princess Garnet? Well,_ Queen _Garnet now._

 _Vivi blinked in bemusement. "Dagger? Princess?"_

 _Garnet looked at him kindly, before shaking her head. "I just assumed her appearance." She gestured to the chair. "Please, sit down." As he did so, she said, "I took on Garnet's appearance because I thought it would be reassuring. Out of all the people you know, she was perhaps the most calming. You'll need that, given what I'm about to say." After a moment, she said, "I am Death."_

 _Once more, Vivi blinked in bemusement. "Death?"_

 _"Yes. Before you ask, Necron, the entity you fought after Kuja, wasn't actually the embodiment of death. He's the embodiment of oblivion and nothingness. Death does not necessarily mean oblivion here," Death said in a soothing tone. "Death is but a part of life, something the Terrans failed to realise properly. The downfall of Terra was due to their making themselves immortal, and thus disrupting the original cycle of souls of their Crystal. What dies is reborn anew eventually. Garland, and those who created him, have much to answer for. With Terra gone, and the Iifa Tree no longer disrupting the Gaian cycle of souls, Gaia can return to normal. However, there are still irregularities. The Gaian Crystal was damaged thanks to the meddling of the Terrans and Kuja's hissy fit. It is healing, but some souls have already escaped the Crystal, and between the cracks of reality, cracks left behind when Kuja destroyed Terra."_

 _"Umm…Miss Death…why are you telling me this?" Vivi asked._

 _Death smiled gently. "What a polite boy you are. Most people just rage at me, or else try to bargain for more life. Actually, I am telling you because I got a soft spot for you and your fellow adventurers. Zidane, Garnet, Freya, Steiner, Eiko, Quina and Amarant…it takes a strong will to go up against what you did, including Necron. And you, you poor boy. You've lived for so short a time…and yet, you've lived far more in that time than many do in decades. You've caught my interest, which is why I wanted to give you another chance at life. Not on Gaia, though. Yes, your friends are there. But with the Gaian cycle just getting back to normal, your friends will be dead and gone long ere you are reborn, and I cannot force it. But…there is another world where you can be reborn."_

 _Death then waved a hand, and an image appeared hovering above the table between them. An image of vast cities and strange vehicles. "Earth, a world where magic and the fantastic are hidden, and have been for centuries. It's still there. Just hidden." Then, a woman, gently held by a man as she wept, was shown. "The Hyoudou family. Twice they have tried to have a child. Twice, their hopes were cruelly torn by them through miscarriage. Unless someone intervenes, their third attempt will end in tragedy once more. Hence where you come in. I can give you a second chance at life. I can give them the son they wanted. You won't remember your old life, not at first, but you will still have the ability to use the Black Magic of your world. After a certain point, when you're ready, the memories will come back. Just be aware, there are other souls on Earth who have come from Gaia. Do you accept?"_

 _Vivi only hesitated briefly. As resigned as he had been to his death, to get the chance to start anew was nice. So he nodded. "Yes, please."_

 _Death smiled. "As I said, what a polite boy you are…"_

* * *

Issei Hyoudou was a strange guy. He was a somewhat solemn, introverted boy, perhaps even a little nervous, though with a strange wellspring of courage within. And, had people but known it, a hidden impish streak. There seemed to be a strange mix of immaturity and maturity within him, as if he was both a child and an old man at the same time. He rarely smiled, but when it did, it lit up his light brown eyes. If only they knew the memories of a life he had once led on a world called Gaia, memories he had only regained a few years ago. They wouldn't believe him.

He was a bit disturbed that he had a minor following soon after joining Kuoh Academy. Not as big as, say, Yuuto Kiba's. Then again, Kiba had very handsome European features and blonde hair, and had that effortlessly nice demeanour that Issei knew hid a lot of pain. But Issei, though not as handsome, had a small following.

He also had rivals. Loud, obnoxious rivals. Namely, the self-proclaimed Perverted Duo of Kuoh, loud and unrepentant perverts who tried to rope Issei into their peeping expeditions. Issei wanted none of it. It wasn't that, despite their loud accusations, he was gay. He was interested in girls. He just wasn't interested in being perverted, especially out in public.

In a way, the two reminded him a little of Zidane, given his endless flirting, especially with Garnet. But at least Zidane knew where to draw the line, a line Matsuda and Motohama merrily skipped over. Matsuda, he of the closely-cropped hair and lewd photography, and Motohama, who claimed his glasses could discern the measurements of a girl like a Scouter from _Dragonball Z_ could discern ki levels. And they were cowards, too. And if there was one thing Zidane was not, it was a coward.

Issei wondered how Zidane was doing, whether he and Garnet had finally married and had kids. He wondered how his own cloned children were doing. Death had sent him a vision of Prince Puck of Burmecia being confronted by his clones in Alexandria, something that Issei thought hilarious. He wondered how Eiko was doing, now adopted by Cid Fabool IX and Lady Hilda Garde of Lundblum. Death had sent him a few memories of a year or so after he had died, but had given him no more. And in a way, he was glad. He didn't want to yearn any more for home than he already did.

It was during a lunch break that Issei passed by the Perverted Duo, looking lewdly at a peephole into the changing rooms of the Kendo Club. With an irritated sigh, Issei decided to use some Black Magic. First, a small Fire spell to set Matsuda's pants on fire. Once the shaved-haired idiot yelped loud enough for the Kendo Club to hear, he used a Blizzard spell to freeze them in place. He did so without anyone noticing he used magic. He rarely used it on them, lest they think he was behind these odd occurrences. That, and he knew something few at Kuoh Academy did.

He wasn't the only one capable of using magic here. Though he was the only human here, as far as he knew, who could do so.

As the Kendo Club rushed by him, ready to wreak revenge on the Pervert Duo (they claimed that the occasional spell used to bring them to the Kendo Club's attention was some sort of divine intervention, and Issei wasn't going to disillusion them), Issei became aware that he was being watched. He looked up at a window of the old school building, a large Victorian house. There, looking out at him, was a buxom girl with beautiful blood-red hair framing a regal face, and blue-green eyes. Rias Gremory, another student with a big following for her beauty, her grace, and elegance. Apparently the head of the Occult Research Club.

He knew of the other members. Kiba was one of them. Another was Akeno Himejima, a dark-haired serene girl who was, if anything, even more buxom than Rias. And there was Koneko Toujou, the petite, cute girl with silvery-white hair, golden eyes, and a quiet, laconic demeanour.

He also knew something about them that he knew they wouldn't want getting out, something he had learned from his partner. For in this life, while he had his Black Magic with him, he also had something else: he had a dragon sealed into him. Although his real name was Ddraig, Vivi opted to give him the nickname of Steiner, after the Captain of Alexandria's Pluto Knights who believed in him even when he couldn't believe Zidane. Ddraig wasn't as…blinkered, stubborn and simple as Steiner could be, but there was something about the dragon's voice and personality that reminded him of Steiner. Stalwart, loyal, and strong.

Steiner and Issei had spoken to each other for the first time shortly after Issei had regained his memories as Vivi. Since then, Issei began to train not just his magic, but his body, so that one day, he would be able to use the Sacred Gear Steiner dwelt within, the Boosted Gear. In fact, as part of that training, recently, he began hunting Stray Devils. It was through Steiner that Issei learned of the wars between the Angels, the Fallen, and the Devils. It was Steiner who alerted him to the presence of the same. And it was Steiner who alerted him to Stray Devils. They only killed a few, lest they bring too much attention on themselves.

 _Hard to believe that they're Devils_ , Issei thought when his eyes met those of Rias.

 ** _True, and the Gremory family are, for the most part, amongst the most altruistic of Devils_** , Steiner rumbled. **_You have aroused her interest, to be sure. She is no fool, she will have detected the magic you use. She's probably making plans to entice you into her Peerage_**.

 _I'd rather do that only as a last resort_ , Issei thought. _I'd rather help people as a normal human…well, as normal as I can get, than as a Devil. At least she seems like one of the nicer ones_.

The sounds of Matsuda and Motohama being beaten with _shinai_ and _bokken_ filled the air behind him. Issei sighed, before opting to head for the library. As he moved off, he was acutely aware of the eyes of Rias Gremory on him.

* * *

After Issei moved out of view, Rias Gremory, Heir to the House of Gremory, returned to the chess game she was playing, her opponent, Queen, and very good friend Akeno standing beside her. "Akeno…I saw Issei using magic on the Perverted Duo again. Magic independent of a Sacred Gear…it seems that he is getting even more interesting. Especially with that Sacred Gear."

"Should we arrange a meeting?" Akeno asked.

Rias shook her head. "Sona and I have received orders from our respective Satan siblings," she said. "Observe, but don't invite outright. Instead, give him one of the summoning leaflets, and hope that he does summon us. In any case, you can see it in his eyes. He seems to know what we are. He's wary, though he doesn't hate us. But given that he may be behind the Strays that have been killed through unusual magic, my brother has asked me to keep my distance, for my own safety. I'll try to make sure one of my familiars gets a leaflet to him. Oh, and checkmate."

As Rias got up, Akeno scrutinised the board. "Oh, and I thought that was a hard one."

"You could always try again," Rias said, as she began taking off her clothes, before walking to a curtained alcove. The club room they were in was panelled in dark wood, and looked like the living quarters of a mansion, so it was somewhat incongruous that, hidden by the curtains, was a shower. But Devils often had their quirks if they weren't malicious, and one of Rias' was her enjoyment of a good hot shower, even if it was near other people.

As she showered, the drops of hot water running down a body many a woman would kill to have, she thought of Issei Hyoudou. She wanted him in her Peerage, not just because she needed more servants in her Peerage, so that she had a better chance against Riser Phoenix. There was something in him, a melancholy, a lugubriousness, that made her want to reach out to him, even hug him. And, of course, there was the fact that Issei was a mystery. And she found herself intrigued by a new mystery…

 **CHAPTER 1 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, here you have it, the first chapter of** ** _Black Mage of Kuoh_** **. I decided not to have the first encounter with Yuuma/Raynare in this chapter, deciding to merely show Issei/Vivi and Rias. Having Issei already aware of his Sacred Gear and talking to Ddraig was something I had in mind long before this became a** ** _Final Fantasy IX_** **crossover.**

 **I brought in Death as a character for my pure Harry Potter story** ** _In Spite of Obstinate Men_** **(admittedly as a bit of a** ** _deus ex machina_** **), and my Harry Potter/** ** _Final Fantasy XII_** **crossover** ** _Nitimur in Vetitum_** **. There, Death took on the appearance of Lily Potter. Here, I decided she would appear as Garnet.**

 **While this story will go through the stations of canon of** ** _Highschool DxD_** **, I intend for it to be something of a character piece. It will also be strictly Issei/Rias, rather than a harem. Canon Issei is very much a harem-seeker, but Vivi reincarnated as Issei wouldn't be.**

 **And yes, as Death had pretty much said, there will be other** ** _Final Fantasy IX_** **characters appearing in this story, reincarnated as characters from** ** _Highschool DxD_** **.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	3. Chapter 2: Raynare and Rias

**CHAPTER 2:**

 **RAYNARE AND RIAS**

It was on the way home from school that Issei was alerted by Steiner. **_Partner_** , the ancient dragon said. **_You've picked up a couple of tails. One's Koneko Toujou, the_** **nekomata** ** _with Gremory's Peerage. The other is a Fallen. She's approaching you. Her intent is not immediately hostile, but she's up to something, I know it_**.

Issei nodded, before he heard, "You're Issei Hyoudou, aren't you?"

Issei turned, and found himself facing a demure girl about his age, with long dark hair. "I am. What's your name?"

"Yuuma Amano," the girl said, looking somewhat nervous. "I…I was just wondering…would you like to go out with me?"

 ** _Malicious she may be, but subtle she is not(_** ** _1)_** , Steiner remarked with an amused tone.

"Umm, that's a bit sudden, isn't it?" Issei asked. "I mean, I don't know you." He then approached her, and said, quietly, "If you were that interested in me, Miss Fallen Angel, you just had to ask me outright."

Her eyes widened. "How did you…? I…"

"Look, I don't care what you are, as long as you're a good person," Issei said. "If you want to meet for a talk, then we can do that."

The flustered Fallen seemed to regain her confidence, and said, "Oh, well, in that case, how about tomorrow afternoon, after school, just outside the school gates?"

"Sure. Not exactly a date, but just a little discussion, right?"

Yuuma nodded, almost too eagerly. "Okay, I'll see you tomorrow afternoon! Bye!" And with that, she scurried off. Issei watched her go, before he looked over to where, just concealed, was the petite form of Koneko, sucking on some lolly or other. She froze when she realised that he had seen her.

Issei approached her, with her looking impassively at him. Then, after a moment, he said, "I used to have eyes that colour. They're rather pretty, you know." And with that, and an impish smirk, he walked home, knowing he had just baffled Koneko with that little non-sequitur.

* * *

"So, not only is that girl not human, but Issei seemed to know it?" Rias asked when Koneko returned to the Occult Research Club's rooms.

Koneko nodded. "He is perceptive. That comment about my eyes…I am not sure what to make of it."

"Neither am I," Rias said. "I guess that's just one more piece to add to the puzzle that is Issei Hyoudou. I'll have to have one of my familiars intercept him with one of our leaflets. I hate standing by while someone may try to harm him. Especially if she may be a Fallen. Word on the Underworld grapevine is that Azazel has told the Grigori to only observe Sacred Gear holders, but there's discontent amongst the ranks of the Fallen. They might try to kill him, or else steal his Sacred Gear. And there's the possibility that they may even recruit him to their side, and with his ability to use magic we don't know of…"

"Judging by how he acted, he seemed noncommittal. They only seemed to agree to meet later," Koneko said.

"Even so…" Rias sighed, taking out a case filled with chess pieces, all of them red, and seeming to glow gently with an inner light. There was a Knight piece, a Bishop piece, a Rook piece, and eight Pawns. "This is a disturbing development," she murmured as she toyed pensively with the Bishop piece.

"We'll do what we can," Akeno said.

"Let's hope that it's enough," Rias murmured.

* * *

Issei was acutely aware of the scrutiny of the Occult Research Club the next day. He wasn't surprised when, earlier that morning, on the way to school, a beautiful girl all but shoved a flier into his hands, a flier with an occult circle, and 'Make Your Wishes Come True' on it in gothic lettering. Steiner identified it as a summoning sigil, and for the Gremory family. Issei kept it just in case: if Yuuma tried to kill him, the summoning circle might be the only way to come back to life in a world where Phoenix Downs and Life magic didn't exist, as far as he knew.

After school, he went and met Yuuma just outside the school gates. He heard the despairing cries of the Perverted Duo, lamenting the fact that Issei had apparently gotten himself a girlfriend. While Issei didn't consider Yuuma a girlfriend by any means, he didn't disillusion the two idiots.

Yuuma did ask Issei if they could stop by the local arcade first, as well as grab a bite to eat. Issei acceded, even managing to win a scrunchy for the Fallen. She had put it onto her arm.

Issei then followed Yuuma to a local park, one with a rather large fountain. "You know," Yuuma said, wistfully, "I haven't really had fun like that for a while. But I guess it's time to get down to business."

Issei nodded, as the girl sat down on the rim of the fountain. "Why is one of the Fallen interested in me? Is it the Sacred Gear?"

Yuuma shrugged. "Yeah. Plus, we heard rumours that someone has been going after Stray Devils in the area, and a human at that. The odd thing is, there were traces of a magic we have never encountered before. And, well, if you can go after Stray Devils and come out intact…" With a sigh of what could have been regret, a lance of light formed in her hands. "Sorry, but you're a threat. No offence."

"Some taken," Issei replied, dodging to the side as she hurled the Light-Spear. Toxic to Devils, it was still damaging, even lethal, to a human as well.

Yuuma clicked her tongue in annoyance. A pair of raven-black wings sprouted from her back, her clothes dissolving, her (admittedly beautiful) body ageing by about a decade, so that she appeared to be in her late twenties. Clothing reformed itself around her body, becoming a rather revealing outfit like something out of a Boris Vallejo painting, all latex and leather straps, somewhere between a fantasy warrior and a BDSM outfit. Her face became even more beautiful, but in a dark and cruel way that reminded Vivi of Kuja's elegant features.

But Issei wasn't idle. Even as she transformed, he began gathering power for a spell. If she intended to kill him, he needed to go all out.

"You are but a child, playing around in a world you barely have any comprehension of," Yuuma said, standing, and making another Light-Spear. "But playtime is over. I'll make your end painless. Consider that a boon from me for dealing with those Stray Devils for us."

"I've met people like you before, Yuuma," Issei said, "if that's your real name. You think a cruelty is a kindness."

"A human, lecturing me?" Yuuma chuckled. "How amusing. Oh, and my real name is Raynare, FYI. Just thought you might like to know. Do you have any last words?"

"Yes: _Flare_."

Orange and red energy seemed to coalesce around Raynare, rushing inwards before suddenly exploding outwards, causing the Fallen to scream in pain and anger. Issei, meanwhile, ran for the trees, summoning the Boosted Gear. **_BOOST!_** Steiner's voice roared.

"Oh, you little _shit!_ " Raynare screamed, her voice now husky with pain and burning with rage. "I _was_ going to make your end painless, but for that, I'm gonna exsanguinate you!" Issei heard the flap of wings behind him. Instinct screamed at him to dive behind a tree as a flurry of Light-Spears nearly turned him into a hedgehog. Issei peeked around the tree, to find Raynare, some of her hair singed off, and with patches of burns covering parts of her skin. Her clothes were burnt and tattered ruins that had gone beyond 'wardrobe malfunction'.

 ** _BOOST!_** Steiner roared.

As she flung more Light-Spears, Issei yelled, " _BLIZZAGA!_ " A wall of ice sprang up between him and Raynare, and the Light-Spears stuck with an almost comical twang. As Raynare stared, Issei followed it up with a snarled, " _THUNDAGA!_ "

Raynare blinked as her hair began standing on end, and electricity crackled around her. She realised what was coming a split-second before the bolt of lightning hit her with a tremendous explosion. When the light faded, Raynare was staggering around, smoke wafting from her body. "Did someone get the number of that truck?" she murmured deliriously, before collapsing.

 ** _BOOST!_** Steiner roared again, before he yelled in a panicked tone, **_PARTNER, WATCH OUT!_**

But it was too late.

Suddenly, Issei felt burning pain run through his body, leaving a frosty numbness in its wake. "You put up a good showing, boy," a man's voice said quietly. "I haven't seen a human, even one with a Sacred Gear, do what you did to Raynare. Sadly, that means you're an even bigger threat to us than we thought." He was lowered to the ground almost tenderly, finding himself looking into the aquiline features of a middle-aged man wearing a fedora and a trenchcoat, dark wings sprouted from his back. There was a curious mixture of anger, contempt, and even some respect.

Issei looked up at him, and rasped, "I just want to live a good life. I wanted to help people."

"Well, you've killed a few Stray Devils. That's a good enough achievement for a human. But it's time for you to die. Feel honoured that it was Dohnaseek who did the deed," the man said, doffing his fedora in a half-sincere gesture of respect, before he went over to help Raynare.

Issei struggled to his hands and knees, and gathered enough energy for one last parting shot. " _Bio_ ," he whispered. Dohnaseek and Raynare (the former having helped the latter to her feet) was briefly enveloped in a green, gelatinous blob.

Dohnaseek turned to face Issei. "Was that meant to hurt?"

Issei merely gave a pained grin. He knew Dohnaseek and Raynare had been poisoned. He just hoped he made them regret killing him. It wouldn't kill them, but they would remember him. As they flew into the sky on a flap of their wings (well, Dohnaseek's more than Raynare's, as hers were badly singed by the Flare spell), Issei felt the life draining from him. He cursed himself for not being able to learn White Magic. After remembering where he came from, he tried to learn, only to realise that he was incapable. Maybe his soul, that of a Black Mage Golem, was simply incapable of using curative magic. And because there were no Potions or Phoenix Downs…

 ** _Partner, use the summoning sigil_** , Steiner's voice urged. **_You're dying, she'll be able to save you_**.

Issei grunted in pain, fishing around in his pocket, and finding it. "Please…" he hissed, holding it. "Help…me…" He then sagged back down to the ground again.

Crimson light filled his sight, and the last thing he saw before darkness finally claimed him was the form of Rias Gremory emerging from a magic circle made of sanguine light…

* * *

 _It was at the cemetery at the Black Mage Village, when Vivi first came here, along with Zidane, Garnet, and Quina. It was the night they stayed there. Vivi, disquieted by Number 288's words, had come back here, looking at the graves. Not many, but they were there._

 _As he crouched down to look at one gravestone, he heard the resonant voice of 288. "Good evening. It's good to see you again, Vivi."_

 _Vivi nearly leapt out of his skin, and whirled to face the leader of the Black Mage Village, looking pensive. Eventually, he said, "I…I wanted to ask you something. I didn't know whether I should in front of the others. I wanted to know…how many of us…stopped moving."_

 _After a moment, 288 came over and put a kindly hand on Vivi's shoulder. "Vivi…you are kind to use our words. But you and I…we know the reality of what we speak. We don't need euphemisms. You already know of what it means to live…and to be mortal. You're speaking of dying, not 'stopping'." After a moment, he said, "Seven of us died recently. Our lifespan is limited, something I have suspected since the first of us perished. It varies, but after a year of life, we simply cease to function."_

 _"No…" Vivi hissed in dismay. Was this the case with him? He felt a cold chill of fear run down his spine._

 _"As you may understand, I haven't told anyone else," 288 said quietly. "Because if I did…I know they would feel the same way I do."_

 _"…And what is that?"_

 _"Perhaps fear," 288 said with a shrug. "I don't want to die. I don't want to stop. Perhaps I even want to run, run away, perhaps even run so far and fast, even the Reaper cannot find me. But…living here with everyone, it fills me with joy, a joy that outweighs my fear of death. Perhaps it's the same with you and those others, Zidane, Dagger, and Quina. It helps give your life meaning, purpose, and joy."_

 _Vivi wondered, was that truly the case? But then, he realised, he knew the answer all along…_

* * *

Issei woke slowly from his slumber, at least at first, even with the alarm clock blaring. It was only when the memories of the prior evening caught up with him that he all but leapt out of bed. He examined himself, and realised two things that were anomalous. The first was that he had no hole in his stomach from the Light-Spear. The second was that he was stark naked, and he usually didn't sleep that way.

Steiner's chuckles echoed in his mind. **_Partner, turn around. You had a bedmate and you didn't even notice_**.

Issei did so, and it was all he could do not to scream in surprise and fright. Rias Gremory was in his bed. And, like him, she was completely naked. He was torn between staring at her beautiful body, and rushing around in panic like a freshly-beheaded chicken. As it was, it was rendered moot when Rias woke, sitting up, stretching, and yawning, the action doing interesting things to her large breasts. And Issei became acutely aware that he had a _very_ conspicuous erection. He quickly fumbled for some boxers and pulled them on swiftly. It wouldn't conceal the fact that he _had_ an erection, but it would at least conceal the uncooperative organ doing so. Which was better than nothing.

Rias giggled when she saw his actions. "Good morning, Issei," she said, as if this was utterly normal for her.

"Umm…morning. You do know you're naked, right?" Issei asked.

"Of course," Rias said with a sultry smile.

And then, it got worse. "Issei, are you awake?" his mother called.

 _Shit!_ Issei thought. "Cover yourself!" he hissed at her. As she did so, apparently with reluctance, he tapped his stomach. "Did you heal this?"

She nodded. "Issei?" his mother called. "You must have come back late last night. That isn't like you, so I want an…" When his mother opened the door, and found her son half-naked, and Rias naked, underneath bedsheets, she said, "Explanation?" in a small, bemused voice.

After a moment, Issei said, "Mum, this is Rias Gremory. She's like me, a mage. I got mugged last night, and the guy stabbed me in the guts. Rias brought me back and healed me."

Rias was startled that he would say such a thing to his mother, who merely blinked, and then asked, "Then why are you naked, Miss Gremory?"

"Call me Rias, please, and my form of healing magic requires skin contact, the more the better. Don't worry, we're still virgins," Rias said, going with it. "I haven't done anything inappropriate with your son."

"Oh," Mrs Hyoudou said, torn between bemusement and trying to discern whether Rias was telling a lie. Eventually, she said, "You had better hurry, or you'll be late for school." Then, she hurriedly left.

Rias blinked, before saying, "She took that well. She knows you can use magic?"

"For a few years now," Issei said. Rias emerged from the bedsheets, and began pulling on her clothing. "Is that true, that whole thing about skin contact?"

Rias nodded as she pulled on her panties. "Of course, I also like to sleep naked, but skin contact is needed for my form of healing, and the more the better. You seem remarkably unfazed about this. You seemed more shocked by my being in bed with you, naked, than being brought back to life. I was telling a bit of a lie, though. I didn't heal the wound while you slept. I decided, given how much you fought back against the Fallen from all the damage to the area, I should make sure you were fine, and they didn't track you down for any reprisals." She had, by this point, slipped her bra on, and asked, "Could you help me fasten this?"

"Umm, okay," Issei said. As he did so, he said, "So…I guess you used an Evil Piece to revive me?"

Rias stiffened, before saying, "You're well-informed. So, you know what I am?"

"A Devil, and the Heir to the House of Gremory," Issei said. It was just as well he had finished fumbling with the bra clasp, and had done it up, for she whirled to face him, her eyes wide with surprise. And, with an impish notion entering his head, he smiled. "Nice to meet you."

She soon returned that smile, and shook his proffered hand. "Nice to meet you too, Issei Hyoudou." And Issei got the feeling that things were, if not going to be all right, then weren't going to be so bad after all…

 **CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Issei had to fight off Raynare and Dohnaseek. The reason why he did so well against Raynare was because he caught her by surprise, and she isn't familiar with the magic of the** ** _Final Fantasy_** **universe.**

 **I hope you guys liked the scene, taken more or less from the game, but with a few modifications, between Vivi and 288.**

 **Now, I've decided on who will be reincarnated** ** _Final Fantasy IX_** **characters. Kiba and Akeno definitely will be, along with Ravel and Freed. I'm still yet to decide on whether Asia is a reincarnation or not. In addition, I've definitely decided who Kiba, Akeno, and Freed will be, and jgkitarel had an interesting idea for who Ravel may be. Who they turn out to be will surprise you. I'm trying to figure out a character to be Kuja's reincarnation, though, so it may be some time before he comes into the story.**

 **Review-answering time! I'm surprised this story got reviews so swiftly. I've already answered** **jgkitarel** **'s question in correspondence. So, I'll answer** **Exiled Soul Nomad** **instead: See above for what happens to Issei. He basically got ganked by Dohnaseek. And keep in mind that, physical strength wise, Issei is actually stronger than Vivi, partly due to encouragement from Ddraig (or Steiner, as Issei calls him), though his magical ability is a little less than when he was Vivi.**

 **Mangahero18** **: I did see amongst the favourites of one of my readers a crossover between** ** _Final Fantasy IX_** **and** ** _RWBY_** **, where Vivi ends up in the** ** _RWBY_** **universe for some reason.**

 **Guest** **: Sadly, I did have him dying on the date, but I hope the above fight felt better than the norm. As noted above, if Dohnaseek wasn't there, Issei would have either defeated Raynare, or else escaped successfully. Sadly, Raynare and Dohnaseek thought that having the pair of them there would ensure they succeeded. And you got how I'm looking to do the relationship with Asia right. Unlike in canon, Issei and Asia will have a big brother-little sister relationship. Issei will be more focused on Rias as a love interest.**

 **1\. This is a reworking of Einstein's famous quote, "The Lord is subtle, but malicious he is not".**


	4. Chapter 3: The Peerage

**CHAPTER 3:**

 **THE PEERAGE**

On the way to Kuoh Academy, Rias said she would keep her questions to herself until after school, where she was convening a meeting of the Occult Research Club. Issei, given that he was now part of her Peerage, had to attend, as part of an orientation. She also warned Issei that Raynare had erased herself, or at least her alter-ego of Yuuma, from anyone who might know. Including the Perverted Duo.

Unfortunately, even if they had forgotten Yuuma, they had witnessed Rias walking with Issei, and promptly began harassing him. Rias had agreed to back him up with his cover story: that she had helped save him from a mugger, and had stayed overnight to make sure he was all right. She went along with it because it boosted her reputation in the school, though Rias and Issei agreed not to mention the whole 'naked in bed together' thing.

Breakfast had been an odd affair, with Rias puzzled that the Hyoudous had been so accepting of the fact she had magic. However, it made things easier, and it meant that she didn't need to erase any part of their memories, to Issei's relief. She did warn the Hyoudous that, given the Occult Research Club's activities, Issei may be late coming home, something Issei's parents were supportive of, as long as Issei wouldn't have any more run-ins with muggers.

All too soon, the day was over, and Issei was escorted by Yuuto Kiba (the 'enemy of all men everywhere', as the Perverted Duo put it, due to his wonderfully handsome looks) to the Occult Research Club. As he walked into the clubroom, he saw Koneko sitting on a lounge, eating sweets. She saw him come in, and peered at him in an appraising manner, angling her plate away slightly, as if afraid he would take some of her sweets. He liked sweets, true, but he had no intention of pilfering any of hers.

His attention was drawn to the curtained-off area of the room, from which he was sure he could hear running water. "Uhh, does she have a shower in there?" he asked Kiba.

"Yes," Kiba said with a smile. Not a lecherous one, but rather, the kindly smile of someone trying to be helpful, as well as having a bit of a giggle at someone else's expense.

Issei blinked, before he said, "Is she an exhibitionist or something?"

"Possibly," Koneko said with a shrug. The running water turned off at that time.

Issei decided to sit down next to the petite girl. "Well, I guess I'll have to wait, won't I? It just seems like an odd place to have one. Plumbing alone must've been expensive in an old house like this."

"For your information, Issei," Rias said from behind the curtain, "there are wonderful things you can do with magic, a little forethought, and plumbing supplies. Given that you know magic, I'm surprised that you haven't thought of that."

"My magic is what you use to kill enemies," Issei said. "By setting them on fire, electrocuting them, freezing them, poisoning them, that sort of thing. It's not always useful in household settings."

"Huh." After a little while longer, Rias, dressed, emerged from the curtained-off shower, followed by Akeno. "Well, normally, I would welcome you to our Occult Research Club, and to my Peerage, but you seem to know more than I thought any human would. So, tell me what you know, and if there's any gaps in your knowledge or misconceptions, I'll clear them up."

Issei nodded. "Well, I have some insider information. I know everyone in this room is a Devil, and with the exception of you, Rias, we're 'Reincarnated' Devils, Devils who were once a different type of being. Kiba and I are the only former humans, too. I know Koneko is a nekomata, and Akeno is a Nephilim. Half-human, half-Fallen Angel. And before you fret, Akeno, I don't care that you are half-Fallen. I wanted to give Raynare the benefit of the doubt."

"Oh…thank you," Akeno said, her usually serene expression a crash site of shock and relief and even a little annoyance.

"I am sorry for bringing up painful memories, but Rias told me to say what I knew. I didn't know you didn't like being a Nephilim." Issei tapped his lips in thought. "Anyway, I know Devils use the Evil Pieces, enchanted chess sets that can change non-Devils into Devils. Those recruited in such a manner by a High-Class Devil are called that Devil's Peerage. The Peerage are the servants and entourage of the High-Class Devil. The reason why the Evil Pieces exist is because of a catastrophic series of wars between Heaven and the Underworld, and the Three Factions, the Angels, the Devils, and the Fallen. Basically, you're in what is a standoff rather than a full peace. Devils gain their power by fulfilling the wishes of humans, usually in exchange for items of material value rather than the classical selling of a soul. And you're not the only Devil from a noble family in Kuoh: Sona Sitri is too. And finally, I'd be willing to bet that the Evil Pieces you revived me with were either Pawns, or a Bishop."

Rias gaped at him, shocked at the knowledge he had just displayed, before nodding mutely. She wasn't used to being dumbfounded, he could tell. "I took a gamble and used my remaining Bishop on you. But…how did you know about all of this?"

Issei had an impish grin on his face, before holding up his hand. "Well, I can take a guess as to why you are interested in me." He summoned his Boosted Gear, a red gauntlet that almost resembled something reptilian that covered his forearm.

"So, you know about Sacred Gears," Rias said. "But how does that have anything to do with you knowing these things? That looks like a Twice Critical, and they're fairly common."

Issei's grin widened. "Actually, it's the Boosted Gear, the Sacred Gear with the Red Dragon Emperor Ddraig sealed within. He's been my tutor about your world."

Rias and her Peerage gaped stupidly at that revelation. Even the usually-impassive Koneko seemed shocked. "Boosted Gear?!" Rias hissed. "But that's one of the Longinuses!" Then, the surprise became replaced by a thoughtful expression. "I see. That's how. Ddraig is one of the Heavenly Dragons, and he was involved in our conflicts as part of Boosted Gear. Though it is unusual that you've awakened him so early."

"Let's just say that I'm unusual anyway," Issei said.

"Yes. It's a rare human who can use magic without a Sacred Gear, or help from one of the Three Factions," Rias said. "Did you learn it, or was it innate?"

"Both. You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you where I learned it," Issei said.

"Oh my," Akeno said, having recovered her composure from Issei knowing her heritage, and having returned to smiling serenely. "Any other tricks you have up your sleeve?"

"Well…"

* * *

 _As he fought the Stray Devil, something that looked like the mutant offspring of a Nymph and a Malboro (cute, if green body, but the head was all mouth and fangs and eyes), he glared at the mangled bodies all around. All these innocent people, this creature consumed. "Why?!" he demanded. "What did they do to deserve that?!"_

 _"They're lower than I," the Stray Devil hissed. "Humans exist only as food for us! Now, sit still and_ _ **die!**_ _"_

 _As the creature lunged, Issei flashed back to the time he was Vivi. He remembered watching as Black Waltz Number 3 used Thundara spells to wipe out the Black Mages who confronted him, in seeming defence of Vivi. The Thundara spell tore through the cargo ship, sending the barrels containing the inactive Black Mages within plummeting to their doom before they could even live._

 _Soon, Vivi was the only Black Mage left alive on the ship, save for the Black Waltz, who laughed sneeringly. Even the comforting hands of Garnet on his shoulders didn't stop the upwelling of sheer rage he felt. With a scream of fury, he rushed out of the wheelhouse of the cargo ship, feeling the light of Trance surround him, his clothes transforming, sending spells at the Black Waltz even as the original Steiner and Zidane joined him._

 _That's what he felt right now. Righteous anger. And he felt the familiar surge of energy coming with the rage. Had he seen himself, Issei would have been astonished to see him change into a grown-up form of Vivi's Trance form, a shining, iridescent version of the Black Mage outfit, with two yellow eyes peering out from an eldritch darkness between pointed hat and coat. Not peering out, actually, as much as_ _ **glaring**_ _out._

 _"_ _ **Burn**_ _," Issei snarled, before sending Firaga spells at the Stray Devil, reducing it to ashes…_

* * *

"A few," Issei said. "The problem was, I was so concentrating on stopping Raynare, I didn't think there'd be a second one. Plus, I'm a bit more used to fighting alongside others. That's why they gave me trouble."

"I think they may have used a dampening field of some kind," Rias mused. "There was evidence that they set one up. It might have hindered your full ability. Or maybe it was a field designed to prevent your escape. Well, in any case, your knowledge is fairly comprehensive, but it does still have some gaps. Anyway, let me now say, welcome to my Peerage, Issei. I am the King of the Peerage, as you've doubtless deduced. Akeno is my Queen. Kiba is my sole Knight, and Koneko is my sole Rook. You are actually my second Bishop, but my first Bishop is not available to me for a number of reasons."

"Why not?" Issei asked.

"His powers are too great for him to control, and he has considerable psychological issues. My brother asked that he be sealed away. You are aware that my brother is Sirzechs Lucifer, one of the Four Great Satans?"

Issei blinked, before saying, "Uh, no. Steiner…that's my nickname for Ddraig, by the way, he told me of their existence, but not that you were related to him."

Steiner remarked, **_Well, I don't have to tell you everything. Besides, if you knew earlier, you'd be a lot more nervous. You were ever since I told you she was the heir to her family. By the way, Sona Sitri's sister is also one of the Great Satans: Serafall Leviathan_**.

"Issei? You tuned out for a moment there," Kiba asked, waving a hand in front of his eyes.

"Sorry, Steiner was speaking," Issei said. "He just told me Sona Sitri's sister is another of the Great Satans, Serafall Leviathan."

"Yes. You wouldn't know it to meet either of them," Rias said. "My brother's fairly laid back, and Serafall is nuts for magical girl anime and things like that. But they're also the most powerful Devils in the Underworld, which is how they got their positions. Devils respect power and strength above so many other qualities. Anyway, as I was saying, my first Bishop, Gasper Vladi, is sealed away. Don't worry, he's fine with it. He's a _hikikomori_ , a shut-in."

"Okay, so, as part of your Peerage, what am I expected to do? I sort of got the gist from Steiner, but I'd like to hear what you want," Issei said. "I'm not sure I like being a servant, but I have no choice, do I?"

"No. And I'm sorry," Rias said. "But don't worry, I don't expect you to wait hand and foot on me. How Devils treat their Peerages varies from Devil to Devil. Some treat them as a collection of slaves. At least one I know of makes his Peerage his own personal harem." Issei didn't fail to notice the disgust and contempt in her voice when she spoke of this Devil, and wondered who it was. "I'd like to think that I treat my Peerage as my friends and family. I'll be frank with you, Issei, all of my Peerage so far have had trying lives. I would like to think that being part of my Peerage was preferable to what they had."

Issei looked at them. He could tell, actually. He did note that Kiba's expression was of someone hiding pain. And Akeno had been surprised and hurt by his saying she was a Nephilim, suggesting she detested her Fallen heritage. What pain did Koneko hide? And for that matter, now that he came to think about it, what pain did Rias hide?

Unbidden, an image of Princess Garnet came to mind, as she was when she had just come back to Alexandria after her mother's death, the weight of responsibility crushing down upon her. Rias, despite her confident smile, had a similar look. It was all in those beautiful blue-green eyes of hers. Sadness, resignation, and the look of someone under pressure due to their station. There was something of Freya's pain as well, he realised. Both Freya and Garnet had felt frustrated at the lack of control over their lives, albeit for different reasons.

"Anyway, your duties are to help fulfil the contracts between Devils and humans, as well as generally help around with our club activities. We will be called upon, from time to time, to deal with Stray Devils, though you have some experience in that area. Finally, when it comes time to fight in Rating Games, you will be fighting alongside me," Rias concluded.

Issei nodded. He wasn't happy about being a servant, but between that and death, well, if he was still alive, he could still help people, even if he was a Devil. And Rias seemed nice enough. "Okay. So…what's next on the agenda?"

Rias smiled, clearly happy that all the expositional preamble was out of the way. "Well, let's see what we need to cover…"

* * *

The sound of laughter filled the derelict church, a cracked, braying thing that was more hyena than hilarity. The subjects of the hilarity, Raynare and Dohnaseek, looked less than impressed by the man laughing. Neither did their companions, both female, and both Fallen. One was dressed in that Victorian-like style known as Gothic Lolita, appearing to be in her teens, and with a petulant and childish demeanour. The other was an older woman, but dressed in a minidress, and looking more sultry than her comrade. The former was Mittelt, and the latter was Kalawarner.

"Freed, it isn't funny at all," Raynare growled, wincing underneath bandages that covered more of her body than her skimpy clothes in her Fallen form did, her body still healing from the poison and Issei's spells. "That bloody poison only just leached out of our systems. I feel like I've got the worst fucking hangover thanks to that poison, and I feel like taking it out on someone. Stop laughing, or I will take it out on you."

Freed didn't stop, though the volume and frequency of his hilarity did die down a little. He was in his late teens, a silver-haired boy who could have been handsome, had it not been for the frequent deranged looks that settled on his face. "I'm sorry…ha ha…but a Fallen, given so much trouble…pffft…by a single guy with a Sacred Gear?" He laughed again.

Dohnaseek scowled, and swatted Freed on the back of the head. "Cease your insolence, Freed. You arrived only a few hours ago, and already you are irritating us. We need you to distract the local Peerages while we prepare to bring Asia Argento into the fold, and perhaps even extract her Sacred Gear. We've also received intelligence that Issei Hyoudou has been revived as part of Rias Gremory's Peerage."

Freed shook his head, before smirking. "Oh, but I know something you don't know," he said in a sing-song voice. "Those spells you described that guy Issei using…oh, it's so nostalgic. Oh, but to think another from that place has come to be reborn!" He danced about as if smitten by love, though the only thing Freed Sallzen, a rogue Exorcist excommunicated by the Church, loved was carnage and killing, using his profession as an excuse to indulge in murder. "Oh, I hope it is that Black Mage brat Vivi! Oh, how I remember the sting of his fire on me! Oh, the nostalgia, it's overwhelming!"

Raynare and her fellow Fallen shared a look. They weren't sure what he was talking about. His sanity was always in question, but this was another matter entirely. "So, what do you intend to do about him?"

Freed grinned viciously. "Oh, I have so many things in mind." He stroked a pistol with disturbing affection. "Oh, he will die. Eventually. But not before I have my way with him. But I will ensure he dies, for good, this time. After all…" Electricity crackled around his form, and his eyes seemed to glow red briefly, before he hissed in a low growl, " _I exist only to kill_ …"

 **CHAPTER 3 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **I'm surprised I got this next chapter out so quickly. Mostly exposition, and Issei wrongfooting Rias. I hope you liked the scene where Issei goes into Trance for the first time, though, complete with flashback (within a flashback!) of the scene where Vivi confronts Black Waltz Number 3. And I hope you like the intriguing hint about who Freed is. I'm sure fans of the game will know who Freed is the reincarnation of.**

 **It may be a while before the next chapter comes out, lest I burn myself out.**

 **Review-answering time! To those of you who complained about me railroading the fight in the last chapter, I'm not impressed by your complaints. I need to go through some stations of the canon. And please keep in mind that I am the writer of this work, not you guys. I am doing this on my own cognisance. In addition, I will reiterate here that part of the reason that Issei lost was that he got surprised by Dohnaseek. If Raynare had been alone, Issei may have won. I also wrote in that thing about the suppression field as a possible reason for you. In addition, Vivi** **never** **fought alone in** ** _Final Fantasy IX_** **, save for offscreen (like in the Festival of the Hunt). He always fought with Zidane, Garnet, Steiner, etc by his side. There** ** _will_** **be changes to the core** ** _Highschool DxD_** **story: I intend for the storyline around Asia to be resolved differently. As in my Harry Potter/** ** _Highschool DxD_** **crossover** ** _Fall to Zenith_** **, she will come out of the experience with her humanity intact, and become a little sister figure to Issei and Rias. In the end,** ** _I_** **am the author, and it is** ** _I_** **who dictate how this story works out. I write this in my own time, on my own terms.**

 **Reishin Amara** **: I have no idea which of the Fallen will survive, if any. Given how Vivi empathised with some of their enemies (like Queen Brahne at the end of Disc 2), it might be possible. As for Issei getting Black Mage clothes, well, he does in Trance, as shown above.**

 **jgkitarel** **: Thank you. I was trying for that. They are aware that Issei is a danger, more than in canon. And yes, they felt the effects of Bio for a whole day. They can heal themselves to a degree, but it wasn't fun, and they're both somewhat annoyed.**

 **Kruggov** **: True, but Doomsday also hurts the caster, and Issei didn't have any means of counteracting that. In a later chapter, though, we'll look at that. And the Hyoudous are very open-minded. In the light novels, apparently they learn of Issei's nature, and are accepting of it. Issei may also use other Black Magic spells. Although Ultima is only used by Kuja in the game, I see no reason for Issei not to use it…albeit without destroying everything in sight…**

 **ninfan** **: It's a good idea, and I may consider it. I'm still deciding whether to have Kuja as Vali, or else as an OC Devil replacing Riser.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	5. Chapter 4: Stray Nun

**CHAPTER 4:**

 **STRAY NUN**

Over the next couple of days, Issei began mentally comparing the members of his Peerage to those people he knew as Vivi. Rias, as he noted, was rather like Garnet and Freya, although he noticed a bit of Eiko (particularly the loneliness hidden beneath other traits) and even Kuja (at times, she had a haughtiness that approached that of the Genome) in her. Kiba was perhaps like Freya, caring, but with a solemnity that spoke of pain in his past. Koneko…he was reminded of Zidane's sister, Mikoto. Superficially emotionless, but in truth, actually emotional. But where Mikoto didn't know how to express her feelings, Koneko was merely stoic. Akeno…oddly enough, he was reminded a little of Lady Hilda, the wife of Regent Cid of Lindblum, as well as the dignity and grace of Freya, though there seemed to be a touch of Kuja's sadism, as he soon learned. Apparently the seemingly demure girl had a sadistic streak she brought out in battle.

He also got a basic lesson in what the Evil Pieces did. Steiner had told him, yes, but Rias added a bit more detail, including how chess captured the imagination of the Devils, and how the Angels were said to have their own system based on playing cards, the Brave Saints. As a Bishop, his magic power was enhanced. Koneko was a Rook, and despite her petite frame, had massive reserves of strength and endurance. Kiba, as a Knight, specialised in speed and strength (making him more like Zidane, a thief, instead of the original Steiner or Beatrix, who were knights, in Issei's view), and had a special Sacred Gear allowing him to create swords. Akeno, as a Queen, combined all these attributes into a single deadly package. Rias had recruited no Pawns yet, but despite being footsoldiers, they could Promote themselves to another rank under special circumstances.

Rias herself was no slouch in combat. She had inherited, apparently from her mother's side of the family (Venelana Gremory formerly being Venelana Bael), the Power of Destruction, a powerful magic that could make Flare and Ultima pale by comparison if powered up. Issei, on his own request, also got a brief crash course on notable figures of the Underworld, like Sirzechs Lucifer, his wife Grayfia Lucifuge, and Serafall Leviathan. He had heard some of it from Steiner, but he wanted Rias' view on things. She even mentioned the Phoenix family. Issei didn't fail to notice the venom in her tone when she spoke of them, especially the current heir, Riser. She dodged around some issue or other, but she admitted this was the Devil she had spoken of when mentioning one who used his Peerage as a harem. The only exception in his harem was his sister, Ravel, who was his Bishop, albeit willingly, and more of a battlefield commander than a member of his harem.

And in a strange way, Issei, in a way, seemed to become, if not trusted, then accepted rather swiftly by the others, if only because he had been so non-judgemental to them for their various ways. It was Koneko, astonishingly, who got along best with Issei. It's perhaps because Issei, having dealt with Mikoto and the Genomes, knew how to deal with the apparently emotionless. That, and he was actually something of a cat person anyway. He remembered that cat Mittens that he had to find for that boy in Alexandria, when he was there to watch _I Want to Be Your Canary_ , or the cat of the innkeeper at Dali. Plus, Koneko enjoyed Issei visiting retribution upon the Perverted Duo, as she had a distinct dislike for perverts.

Kiba, he had a decent enough relationship with. It helped that Issei wasn't threatened by the young man's handsome looks, though Kiba did occasionally make remarks that put Issei on edge. Remarks that suggested that Kiba was more into men than women, and was eyeing Issei up as a partner. Issei got the impression that Kiba was joking, about his attraction to Issei at least, but Kiba did like to press Issei's buttons on occasion. Thankfully, their relationship was cordial, though Issei did have to wonder why Kiba sometimes looked at him as if trying to puzzle something out.

Rias was both distant and friendly, paradoxically. Issei guessed it was because of her station. The comparisons with Garnet became stronger. Vivi had looked up to Garnet as a big sister and friend, partly because of their age differences. But now that Issei was closer in age to her, he wasn't sure what he felt for Rias. There was an attraction there, true, but it was more to do with her beauty and intelligence. He wasn't sure what he felt for her was more than lust, albeit a restrained lust. He was sure that, if Zidane had never met Garnet, he'd be head over heels for Rias.

As for being her servant, well, Issei had some misgivings. He remembered being made as Vivi, as a walking weapon of war, the other Black Mages being first the slave soldiers of Brahne, and then tricked into being Kuja's slaves. Even so, Issei also knew that Rias didn't treat him as a servant, or anyone else in the Peerage, and between dying, and living in temporary servitude under someone as benign as Rias, he was willing to tolerate it. It was a possibility he had considered anyway, the possibility that he may be made part of some Devil's Peerage, and he guessed he was lucky to be part of Rias'. Plus, he knew she was troubled by something, and he would have helped her if he could, even if he wasn't in her Peerage. She only had to ask.

Akeno, well, Issei felt was the most approachable. True, she was a very beautiful girl, with dark hair and a figure many women would kill to have and men would kill to caress. On her sheer beauty alone, she should have been unapproachable, able to have any man she wished. And that was without going into her unabashed interest in BDSM, something that would certainly turn more than a few off. And Akeno readily admitted to Issei that she had had a mild case of androphobia.

However, Akeno and Issei were drawn to each other for a number of reasons. Akeno seemed to like Issei because he didn't hold her Nephilim heritage against her (even though he had a rather nasty run-in with a Fallen). She also had a genuine interest in his magic (to be fair, everyone in the Peerage did too, but given that Akeno was a Queen, she also expressed some interest in duplicating it), and while his Thundaga spells couldn't match her own lightning attacks, she was intrigued by the possibilities of some of his other spells, especially those not tied to an element, like Bio, Comet, Meteor, and Flare. The fact that she acted in a somewhat friendly, nurturing way, one of the reasons she got called one of the great Big Sisters of Kuoh, helped.

After some consultation with Sirzechs, Rias told Issei that, while she wasn't allowed to breach the seal keeping Gasper in a room, she could give Issei the address of the chatroom Gasper used to make contracts. Issei had made contact with the young dhampir, and while Gasper was a bit startled that he was being talked to, the young dhampir took it better than, say, if he had Issei in the room with him. They had even used video chat at one point, and Issei had to stamp down on his astonishment. Rias had told him Gasper was a transvestite, but even that, plus his experience dealing with the VERY effeminate Kuja, didn't prepare Issei for how cute the dhampir looked. He looked like a young teenaged girl with blonde hair and violet eyes, albeit with pointed ears and a small but noticeable set of fangs.

Issei also had some small success with his clients. True, few actually got to make pacts with him, and there were a couple of rather bizarre ones (like that guy with the magical girl obsession and weird verbal tic), but Issei's customer service feedback was superlative, and the few pacts he did make were enough to satisfy Rias. And at least he wasn't taking their souls as payment. Usually, it was material goods anyway for most pacts.

It was one day, shortly after his life in the Peerage began, that he had a rather fateful encounter. One that would see him drawn into conflict not only with the Fallen once more, but also with Rias…

* * *

Issei had been sitting in a park when he heard someone trip and fall nearby. He looked over, to find a blonde-haired girl, maybe a year or so his junior, sprawled on the ground, a suitcase spilled open nearby. Immediately, he helped her up. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she said with a smile. She took a piece of cloth from the ground, and arranged it on her head. He realised it was the veil of a nun, a novice nun, and he realised she had a cross on a chain around her neck. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," he replied. He looked over at her suitcase and its spilled contents, and began helping her put her items away, though he noted she was embarrassed about her underpants being exposed. Even as he helped her, he kept on guard. One thing Rias said to him was to be wary of anyone from the Church, the Roman Catholic Church in particular. And she was speaking in Italian, Issei only understanding it because Devils could understand any language. Even so, he helped her regardless. He remained on guard in case it was a trick, but at the moment, he was giving her the benefit of the doubt. Steiner told him that she wasn't one of the Fallen, at least, and he could detect no malice.

She praised the Lord that she had found a kind stranger to help her, and Issei had to hide his flinch of pain. She seemed to do so out of sheer guilelessness, rather than malice or any awareness of what he was, as far as he could tell. And then, they heard the sound of crying. A boy playing at a nearby playground had fallen and scraped his knee badly. The girl went over, and then placed her hands near it. And then, she said a single word in a tone Issei remembered from his time as Vivi.

" _Cure._ "

Green and white energy suffused the wound, and it healed over, with even the blood disappearing. But the mother, when she came over, glared at the girl, even when she tried to explain. The woman didn't understand a word of Italian, and judging by her glare, she wouldn't have cared even if she had.

As the mother led her son away, Issei scowled. "The nerve…you helped him, and she gives you the evil eye."

"It's all right," the girl said. "I'm…used to it."

"You shouldn't be."

"Thank you," the girl said. "I'm Asia Argento."

"Issei Hyoudou. But what was that you used?"

"A holy blessing."

Issei wondered whether he should reveal that he knew what she had used. He decided against it, lest it make her hostile. "It's handy."

"Indeed. I have another means of healing, but I use both methods. One is a divine gift, useable by me alone, while the other, the one I used, can be taught to anyone with the propensity for it."

"I see," he said. He noticed her eyes become scrutinising for a moment. Earlier, she had the air of a slightly ditzy, somewhat cheerful girl. But there was something calculating about that look he didn't like.

If she knew the magic of Gaia and Terra, then who did that make her? Someone who knew White Magic. But who had died on either world that knew that? It could've been anyone. Including someone who was an enemy.

Just as quickly as it had come across her face, the dark, scrutinising look passed, and she was smiling again. "Umm, actually, if it's not too much trouble, I need your help finding a place. I've only just arrived in Japan. I'm here to take up a position at the Church of Descended Light. Could you help me find it? My spoken Japanese isn't too good."

Issei felt a thrill of fear at the thought. But, unwilling to leave her alone, in case she wasn't his enemy (beyond a member of the Church being an automatic enemy of Devils), he said, "What's the address?" When she gave it to him, he knew it was a derelict church not far from here. He found himself getting a chill. "Umm, if I can get a map on my phone, can I point it out to you? I got swooped by birds there a few times, I don't like going near there anymore."

Asia smiled, and nodded. "That's okay."

He pulled up the map on his phone, and showed Asia the route there. She got it swiftly enough. "Thank you, Issei. You've been very helpful to me. I hope we can be friends."

 _Even if you aren't a Stray Exorcist, I doubt you'd be saying that if you knew what I am_ , Issei thought to himself. But out loud, he smiled, and said, "Sure. Why not? Take care, Asia, and stay safe."

* * *

As she walked away from Issei, Asia was deep in thought. She had noticed the flinch when she had praised God…a God she technically didn't believe him. And her own 'guardian angels' as she called them had already identified him as a Devil. Though for a Devil, he seemed to be fine, and the 'guardian angels' thought him no threat.

Even so, her 'guardian angels' had confirmed it. He was from Gaia, though there was something odd about him. And given what had happened to her and her home, she was wary.

And if she learned that he was the one responsible for the deaths of her people…she would make him live to regret it…

 **CHAPTER 4 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **The latest chapter, and yes, Asia is definitely a reincarnation of someone from Gaia. Who it is, you'll have to find out, but I'm sure that given the clues, you can make a reasonable guess.**

 **Now, after considerable thought (and at least one review), I have decided that I am no longer pairing Issei with Rias, and have changed the character things to reflect that. I'm leaning towards Issei/Akeno, but it's not set in stone. And I've decided that Akeno is no longer a reincarnation, though Kiba is. Who that is, I am yet to reveal. However, I am pleasantly surprised to see so many people in their reviews delighted that I am making Freed the reincarnation of Black Waltz Number 3. Let's face it, Freed would either be the Black Waltz or Kuja, and I thought the former would be better.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	6. Chapter 5: Stray Devil

**CHAPTER 5:**

 **STRAY DEVIL**

Rias contemplated the news Issei had given her at the clubroom, the others listening. "I suppose under the circumstances, you did the right thing in only directing her to the church rather than escorting her there. If you'd ventured into their territory, you may have been set upon. The Fallen love derelict churches."

"I don't think she was luring me into a trap," Issei said. "She seemed too guileless for that, and she would have insisted on my escorting her. I think it may just have been coincidence. And Steiner said she was human, not a Fallen." After some thought, he added, "She used a magic familiar to me. While it was curative magic, I saw it before. What's more, she seemed to imply that she had more than one means to heal people."

"It could be a Sacred Gear," Rias said. "I heard rumours through my brother of an Italian novice nun, answering to the same last name as the one you met, being tricked by Diadora Astaroth into healing him using a Sacred Gear. For healing a Devil, she was excommunicated."

"That's appalling," Issei scowled.

"Ironically, she may be better off with the Fallen," Rias said. "As much as it galls me to say so, anyway. Diadora Astaroth has a nasty habit of defiling nuns and forcing them into his Peerage as his sex slaves, usually getting them excommunicated first and leaving them vulnerable to the world for a time. Even so, she's still a danger. Even if Asia has a genuinely benign attitude towards Devils even now, her employers will not. Keep your distance from her, in case she's bait in a trap. And keep in mind that Exorcists can erase Devils from existence."

"I understand," Issei said. "She seemed like a nice girl, anyway."

"So did Raynare," Rias pointed out. "Now, we have other business to attend to. Akeno came by just before you arrived with a missive from the Asmoday family. One of their servants, Viser, has become a Stray, one we have to deal with. I suspected as much, as there was a recent rise in disappearances not far from a derelict warehouse on the outskirts of town. As you know the Evil Piece system and how we work, and have had experience dealing with Stray Devils, I won't have to explain everything. Just be ready."

* * *

They went to the derelict warehouse later that night. Issei felt angry that another Stray was killing people. And as they entered, he smelt the coppery tang of blood. He summoned Steiner.

 ** _Be careful, partner_** , Steiner said. **_This Stray may be weak, but even the weak can be victorious when they get the drop on you_**.

"What's this?" hissed a voice from out of the shadows. "What a filthy stench…" Then, out of a shadowy corner, a topless woman seemed to emerge, the lower part of her body concealed in shadow.

"Viser!" Rias called out in a commanding tone. "You have left the service of your master! You know what the penalty for that is. Go back to your master, or die. It's your choice."

Viser chuckled, the rest of her body coming into the moonlight. A grotesque, four legged body, making her look like some bizarre centaur, but with a very yonic mouth on the underside. "I think not. I am going to enjoy feasting on you, bitch."

The battle that ensued was rather short-lived. Issei had to admit to be awed by Kiba and Koneko's abilities, though he felt sorry for the _nekomata_ when she was nearly swallowed by the yonic mouth, and while she emerged unharmed, her clothes had been partly dissolved. Suddenly, he had to dive out of the way when Viser sprayed an acidic substance (from her breasts, of all things!), and the creature taunted him as he winced from some of it managing to catch his hand. "Aren't you an agile little worm?"

He felt the dam break once more, light filling the derelict warehouse as he entered Trance, his appearance changing. He saw that Viser was gaping, along with the others present. "Not a worm. A _wyrm_ ," he said. He then put his hand out. "Double Firaga."

Great balls of fire smashed out of Issei's hand. For a moment, he saw the face of the third Black Waltz, charging up a Thundara spell. Viser screeched as the Fire spells ate into its flesh.

"Now, why should you have all the fun, Issei?" Akeno asked with a smile, before she began hitting Viser with lightning bolts. Issei saw her blushing, her expression disturbingly filled with pleasure as she tortured the Stray with her lightning, chortling as she did so. As Akeno gave Viser some shock treatment, Issei realised that Kiba was looking at him in some shock…and recognition. Issei didn't like that pensive frown, not one bit.

He was soon shaken out of his reverie when Rias told Akeno to halt. She approached the now smoking body of Viser, who was barely alive. As Rias formed a ball of violet and black energy, she said, "Have you any last words, Viser?"

"Go to hell," Viser retorted weakly.

"Well, I have to give you points for defiance. _Cease to exist!_ " With that Rias unleashed the blast, and with a brief scream of agony, Viser disintegrated.

"Was that your Power of Destruction, Rias?" Issei asked.

The Gremory heiress nodded. She then turned to Issei, and looked him up and down, intrigued. So did the others, with Koneko being as curious as she could be with half her clothes dissolved. "Interesting. And your powers have increased. What is this?" Rias asked.

"Trance," Kiba said, walking forward. "A rare ability that, in times of crisis, a surge of emotion induces a complete physical transformation, albeit temporarily. It can be the will to live, the desire to protect, or even hostility at one's surroundings."

"You know about it, Kiba?" Rias asked, surprised. "I've never heard of it before."

"I encountered a few users before," Kiba said. "Like I said, it's rare. It enhances one's abilities temporarily." His eyes met those of Issei's. "I can't use it myself."

"Well…it seems that Issei is full of surprises. We'll head back to the clubhouse first before we finish up for the night."

* * *

After they did so, and made their separate ways back home, Issei and Kiba found themselves walking together, Issei wary of the blonde teenager. Eventually, Kiba said, "Another soul…and from Gaia. I thought I recognised your signature, even though we never properly met back on that world." His voice had become even more solemn than usual, even older than it should have been.

"How do you know me? Who are you?" Issei asked.

"Another question is, who are you? Issei Hyoudou, or Vivi Ornitier? Or both, perhaps?" Kiba asked.

The question sent a sickening jolt through Issei. But before he could react, Kiba held up a hand. "I am not your enemy, Issei. And you only truly saw me but once, before I died, thanks to Garland."

"Garland?"

"Yes. Garland killed me. It would normally be difficult for him to do so, but his accursed vessel, the _Invincible_ , was capable. My soul was taken on board, and I was trapped there, impotent. I refused to go with Kuja when he took souls from the reservoir of the _Invincible_ to fuel his Trance. Instead, he jettisoned me, allowing me to rejoin the cycle of souls Terra corrupted. But I fell through the gaps rather than return to the crystal as I should have."

"I…were you at Alexandria? That's the only time I can think of that Garland used the _Invincible_. Kuja used it the other times, and I later learned Kuja would not have attacked Alexander, because he wanted the Eidolon. But…I can't think of who you were."

"I can imagine why. I looked very different then," Kiba admitted. "And you mentioned me just then, you know."

"What?" Then, Issei realised what he was, or at least could make a guess. "…It can't be…"

"Can't it? I remember you, a Black Mage child, running around the corridors of the castle I protected. So full of life. I remember Princess Garnet, so full of doubt, and yet, along with Eiko Carol, able to summon me. Their righteous calls ensured that, unlike the first time I was summoned, I didn't go on a rampage."

"Alexander…" Issei murmured.

"Yes. That was my name once. Alexander, the Holy Citadel Eidolon. It's ironic, then, that I've become a Devil in this lifetime." Kiba smiled at Issei. "Don't look so surprised, Issei, or should that be Vivi?"

"Just Issei."

"Hmm. You might recall that Alexandria Castle had a massive pillar, shaped like the blade of a sword. That was the physical location of where I was sealed, though I needed the Royal Jewels to be reassembled to act as my summoning focus. As part of the castle, I watched over it."

"Does Rias know?"

"Rias doesn't. Indeed, she knows only a little of my past as a human," Kiba admitted. "It's rather painful: I only remembered my past as Alexander when I escaped from that hell. Let's just say I know what it's like for the Black Mages being exploited as weapons. But tell me, are the people you travelled with well?"

"As far as I know, yes," Issei said. "Eiko's been adopted by Cid and Hilda. Freya is helping rebuild Burmecia. Amarant and Quina are doing their own thing, Steiner's hooked up with Beatrix, Dagger's now queen, and Zidane's alive, and about to go see her again, I'd bet. That was a long time ago. I hope they're doing well even now. But there's a problem. Remember that nun I helped out earlier today? She used White Magic, from Gaia. Or Terra: I know they can use that magic too."

"It's a concern, especially if she's with our enemies, regardless of whether she was a good person or not. Many of the summoners of Madain Sari used White Magic, and many of their souls were taken into the _Invincible_ , and then into Kuja, their minds demanding vengeance against Terra and Garland. I don't have to tell you to be cautious if you meet her again, given that she may be able to use Eidolons."

Issei shook his head. "Of course not."

* * *

Rias frowned at the news that Grayfia Lucifuge, the wife of her brother Sirzechs, had delivered her. Riser Phoenix had been defeated in a Rating Game, albeit an unofficial one. That would be excellent news normally, had it not been for the fact that her engagement had been at stake. Riser had been challenged by a rising young star of the Underworld, one who didn't yet even have a complete Peerage.

And he had won. Partly because, even as a King, he was out in the thick of battle, decimating enemies with his magic. And partly because he was a master of psychological warfare and pinpointing weaknesses.

Rias looked at the photo of the, frankly, beautiful young Devil. Beautiful, but there was something chilling about that image. "Grayfia…why did he challenge Riser for my engagement?"

"His official story is that he had become enamoured of you at your brother's last function, and sought to save you from Riser," Grayfia said. "He was somewhat more poetic than that, saying things about freeing pretty red-breasted robins from their cages, and other purple prose."

"And your opinion?"

Grayfia, a silver-haired buxom woman in the uniform of a maid, scowled. "To put it bluntly, he's as bad as Riser at the very least. He comes from the Naberius(1) family, and is considered the rising star of that otherwise relatively obscure family. He is well-versed in magic, and is noted for dressing in a flamboyant, provocative, even effeminate manner. But he is also a powerful fighter. Many have underestimated him because of his looks. His Peerage is a collection of the beautiful and powerful, like Riser's Peerage, though unlike Riser, this Devil does not use his Peerage as a harem. As part of the agreement when he fought Riser…Riser had to forfeit his Bishop, Ravel, to him."

Rias frowned. "How did he manage that?"

"He tempted Riser with a member of his own Peerage. Riser has a full Peerage, but he would have gladly traded off an excess member if he felt what he was being given was better. That was the deal. And by all accounts, Ravel came willingly. Whoever won would win your hand, as well as a Peerage member. I came to see you as soon as I could, Rias. Your brother knows you didn't want to wed Riser, but your father is stubborn, greedy for more powerful grandchildren. Now you have a different suitor, but one who may have similar problems. The only solution may be an unofficial Rating Game, as it was with Riser. But given how he defeated Riser…"

"Which means I've got to start working my Peerage harder," Rias mused. "How much time have I got left?"

"Lord Gremory is considering moving the wedding date up," Grayfia said. "I'm sorry, Rias. Your brother cannot interfere, lest he be seen as partial to you…well, any more than he already is. And seducing someone to lose your virginity wouldn't have worked either, as Riser would have wed you anyway, but not before extracting money from the Gremory family in compensation. And this upstart would probably do the same thing."

Rias scowled. She looked at the photo of the Devil in question. Long lavender hair (with part of it sticking up in a way that looked like feathers) framed a feminine, undeniably beautiful face, though there was a cruelty about the man's lips and blue eyes. A cruelty she didn't want to be wedded to.

She didn't want to be wed to Riser Phoenix. And she certainly didn't want to be wed to Kuja Naberius…

 **CHAPTER 5 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **And here you have it. Kuja's finally making an appearance, and has usurped Riser. And Kiba has revealed who he was. Yes, it's a bit of a stretch to have an Eidolon reincarnated, but I thought Alexander, who seems peripherally associated with that massive sword thing on top of Alexandria Castle, would be an interesting match with Kiba. And given that Eidolons have been used as weapons, well, it suits Kiba, being able to create weapons on the fly.**

 **Anyway, the next chapter will have Issei confronting Freed…and Asia finally revealing who she was.**

 **Review-answering time! Regarding people saying the Brave Saints system came after the events of the first series, well, in this version, the Angels have had it for a while. Given that the Angels had probably been decimated by the wars, I'm a little surprised that they didn't formulate it themselves to swell their numbers.**

 **Minaly22** **: The fanfic in question may well be** ** _Go Not Gently_** **by Guardian1. I've heard of it, but am yet to read it.**

 **1\. I needed to find a devil name for Kuja's family, and after flicking through Wikipedia's entries for the** ** _Ars Goetia_** **(where Ichiei Ishibumi presumably got the names for the various Devil clans), I decided on Naberius. Why? Naberius presents himself as amiable and eloquent (though the devil in question, unlike Kuja, has a raucous voice), and teaches the art of gracious living.**


	7. Chapter 6: Stray Exorcist

**CHAPTER 6:**

 **STRAY EXORCIST**

The next night was when Issei ended up in a whole heap of trouble. It started well enough. As the Occult Research Club went to do their business for the night, Rias handed Issei some details for a potential new pact. Issei sometimes used his bike instead of a magic circle, the incident with the two Fallen reminding him that he needed to become stronger. Tonight was one of those nights.

When he entered the darkened house, though, he realised something was wrong. **_Partner, something's clouding my senses_** , Steiner said. **_Be careful_**.

Issei crept in, calling out for the person who summoned a Devil, and soon found a living room being the only room with lights on. Wary that this was a trap, he made his way in. And soon regretted it.

Nailed to a wall at the far end of the room, upside down, in a parody of crucifixion, was a mutilated corpse, with rather dark religious phrases scrawled on the walls nearby in blood. Issei fought down an urge to vomit.

And then, he heard, in a sing-song voice, "Ooh, a little Devil. Why, it's my lucky day!"

Issei turned to find a young man, anywhere from just younger than Issei, to maybe even his early twenties. Silver-haired, handsome, if it weren't for the psychotic glimmer in his eyes, as he danced around, singing a song. Issei got the important parts: that this was an Exorcist. And in all likelihood, a Stray: most of the time, Exorcists targeted Devils and the Fallen, not humans.

There was something very vaguely familiar about this Exorcist, though. "Anyway," the Exorcist said, "my name is Freed Sallzen…and _I exist only to kill_."

Issei felt a chill run down his spine at the too-familiar phrase, his eyes widening in horror. This seemed to delight Freed even more. "Oh, so what Raynare and Dohnaseek told me is correct! You'd only be having that reaction if you remembered me… _Vivi_."

"Black Waltz Number 3," Issei muttered. "You look more handsome than you did. That's the only improvement." He looked over at the corpse. "Still killing people for no reason."

"He was a human who wanted to make a pact with a Devil," Freed said with a shrug. "He was corrupt and filled with sin. Ending his life before it corrupted any further is a mercy."

"You don't believe that, do you?"

"No," Freed admitted with a smirk. "But it's a handy reason. The thing is, little Vivi, I enjoy killing. I exist only to kill, but it doesn't mean I can't enjoy it. Sadly, the Church thought I enjoyed it a touch too much. Ungrateful fools. I channelled my talents and inclinations into something helpful, and they discard me. Oh well, such is the way of one like us, born to be weapons. I have new masters, who give me all the victims I need. A shame Princess Garnet, or that stupid oaf Steiner, or that monkey Zidane aren't here. Or maybe they are, and I haven't found them. I'd love to have Steiner and Zidane watch as I rape Garnet, and then disembowel her. There's something just so…lovely, so intimate, about the feeling of stroking someone's intestines as they spill out of their body." Freed grinned psychotically. "I guess I'm going to have to make do with _your_ intestines."

"I'm not going to make it easy," Issei growled, summoning Steiner into existence.

 ** _BOOST!_** the dragon roared into his head.

"I'd be so disappointed if you did," Freed sneered, pulling out a gun, as well as what looked like the hilt of a sword. When he activated it, a blade made of white light appeared.

Issei cocked his head. "I think George Lucas is going to be suing the Church when he hears about this. I mean, really, you have actual lightsabres?"

"Handy little things. Light is, after all, poisonous to a Devil. A weakness I don't have!" Freed lunged, with Issei dodging, barely avoiding a slash or a volley of bullets.

"Bio!" Issei yelled, causing a green gelatinous blob to envelop Freed briefly.

Freed growled, looking a little haggard from the poison. "So, you learned some tricks since we last met."

"A lot of them," Issei said, before diving to avoid another volley of shots. He fired a Flare spell at Freed, but the crazed priest avoided it, only getting a mild burn on the side of his face from a stray bit of energy.

"Oh, son of a _bitch!_ " Freed snarled. This time, he managed to hit Issei, sending the young Devil sprawling to the floor. "I hope it burns," Freed hissed. "ASIA! IN HERE, NOW!"

 _Asia?_ Issei thought as he struggled to his feet. He saw the young ex-nun timidly approach Freed.

"I've been poisoned by him," Freed snarled. "Heal it now."

She nodded timidly, before a green glow, definitely not a White Magic spell Issei had ever seen, enveloped Freed briefly. "Handy, isn't she?" Freed said. "This little girl has a Sacred Gear, Twilight Healing. I think you can guess what it does, Vivi."

"Vivi?" Asia asked. She looked over at Issei. "But his name is Issei."

"Oh, yes, but we've met before. Now, little Vivi, stay there." Freed holstered his gun, and began gathering lightning in his hand. The Thundara spell, the signature move of Black Waltz Number 3. "Have you got any last words before I fry your worthless Devil arse with a Thundara?"

"…So you're from that place too."

This wasn't from Issei, but from Asia. Issei realised Asia now looked different. She still had the same face, but the expression, rather than being timid, was now thoughtful, calculating, and serious. It was as if she was a decade, if not more so, older. And Freed wheeled on her. "What?!"

"That was a Thundara spell," Asia said. "Gaia or Terra?"

"Gaia. Why, does it matter?" Freed sneered.

"Well, if you were from Terra, I would be less kind. As it is, Freed, or whoever you are, you are attacking someone who tried to be nice to me. You murdered someone merely for associating with Devils, regardless of their true morality."

"Hey, what the hell gives?! Why the fuck are you acting so different, Asia? And why are you bitching about my methods?" A sneer came over Freed's face. "You know what? Fuck it. Raynare and the others said I couldn't kill you, but I think you could do with a bit of tutelage _in knowing your fucking place, you Devil-loving_ _ **slut!**_ "

As he threw the Thundara spell at her, she held out a hand, and the spell bounced back off, hitting Freed. As the young priest collapsed to the floor, juddering and convulsing, Asia said coldly, "Do you think I would allow you to be anywhere near me without casting Reflect on myself?"

"Bitch…" Freed bit out, struggling to his feet

"Slow," Issei said, and soon, Freed was struggling even more.

"I knew you were from Gaia," Asia said. "We'd better run, he'll call the cavalry before long."

Issei found himself agreeing, even if the nun might be an enemy. So he fled.

* * *

They skidded to a halt in a nearby park. Asia pulled him behind a tree, and peered out. "Damn," she muttered. "Dohnaseek and Mittelt are already here and searching for us. I was hoping not to do this until later."

"What do you mean?" Issei asked.

Asia looked at him. "I was excommunicated from the Church for healing a Devil. But…they already were suspicious of me, for my healing powers…and my guardian angels. They were seen as demons. But to tell the truth, they were my only friends in this life."

"Why do you trust me?"

"Because I sense little malice in your heart, and none towards me. But I have to ask, what do you know about Madain Sari?"

Madain Sari?! "You're a summoner?!" Issei hissed. "Like Garnet, or Eiko?"

"So you know what I am. Do you know who destroyed our people and our home?"

"He died," Issei said, thinking of Kuja. "What was your name?"

"I was Jane of Madain Sari."

Issei's eyes widened. That message on the Eidolon Wall, to Garnet's mother and Garnet herself, although Garnet's real name was Sarah. And her mother… "I knew your daughter, Jane. Sarah, aka Princess Garnet til Alexandros."

"What?" Suddenly, a yell from above. "This'll have to wait," Asia said. "If you knew my daughter, then I may be right to trust you over Freed. But we'll have to fight." She closed her eyes, and murmured, as a familiar ring of emerald globes with flames within them circled her. "Come to me, Eidolon of Gravity, Lucavi of Cancer," she murmured. "Come to me, Zeromus, THE CONDEMNER!"

There was a flare of purple and even black light, and a massive form coalesced nearby, a vaguely insectoid, or perhaps even crustacean, being, with a massive torso, a bulbous abdomen, and two arms, one of which ended in a massive, crab-like claw. It peered down at Asia. In a tenebrous voice, it said, " _You have called me, and I have answered._ "

"There's a Devil! Destroy it!" A petulant voice came from above. A series of Light-Spears hit Zeromus, making him resemble a porcupine of light.

"Idiots," Asia muttered quietly. "The more damage they do to Zeromus, the more he can dish out. The greater the gulf between his fully healthy state, and his actual vitality, the greater his power."

" _GRAVITY WELL!_ " Zeromus roared, and suddenly, a pair of winged shapes were pulled out of the sky, hitting the ground hard. One was Dohnaseek, and the other was apparently a teenager in a Gothic Lolita-style dress.

"What the hell is this?!" Dohnaseek snarled as he and the other Fallen struggled to their feet. "Asia, what is the meaning of this?!"

"You took me for a fool, Dohnaseek," Asia said, her voice eerily calm. "I know what you wanted from me. I played along. You thought I was an innocent that you could take from. But I had 'guardian angels' of a very different sort who warned me of your true intentions. This is one of them: Zeromus the Condemner, the Lucavi of Cancer, one of the Thirteen Zodiac Eidolons it is my privilege to be able to summon. Beings who can rival a Sacred Gear in power."

"And you're throwing your lot in with a Devil?" Dohnaseek sneered. "Then again, considering these 'Eidolons', I shouldn't be surprised. This one looks like a Stray that's been away from its master for too long!"

"Such a display of righteousness coming from one willing to associate with a madman like Freed," Asia said. "And I have had these Eidolons since I was born. Holy or diabolical, they are gifts of providence that I will do with as I will."

"ISSEI!" At this moment, Issei didn't know whether Rias' voice was welcome or not at this point. But as Rias came running to them, Dohnaseek whirled, forming a Light-Spear to hurl at Rias.

"HASTE!" Asia yelled, and suddenly, Rias was running at great speed, easily dodging the Light-Spear Dohnaseek sent her way.

"STOP!" Issei yelled, hitting the teenaged Fallen, who was forming a Light-Spear of her own, and she froze, her eyes wide from the spell.

"Mittelt!" Dohnaseek yelled. He glared at the three of them. "You're all dead!"

But even as he readied another Light-Spear, Zeromus roared, " _BIG BANG!_ " Energy gathered around his now-open claw, energy that put Issei in mind of Rias' own Power of Destruction. The orb fired out, with Dohnaseek dodging to the side.

"You _missed_ ," the Fallen sneered, only to realise that Asia had pulled Issei and Rias down for cover behind a nearby rock. And he turned to see the orb right behind him, about to explode.

Suddenly, a massive explosion rocked the area, a shockwave filled with scintillating bolts of energy crackling and strobing throughout it. Mittelt, frozen to the spot, was merely hurled away like the toy of some petulant giant child. Dohnaseek, however, being close to the epicentre of the blast, disintegrated slowly, screaming all the while.

When it had finished, the trees around them were flattened for at least a couple of dozen metres all around. Zeromus faded in a flare of light. Issei helped Asia to her feet, as Rias got to her own. Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko emerged soon afterwards, obviously looking like they got hit by the shockwave, though not enough to do more than get dirt all over them, like Asia, Issei, and Rias. "Oh my, President," Akeno remarked. "You do go over the top, don't you?"

"It wasn't me," Rias said quietly, still in some shock, staring at Asia.

Kiba seemed to understand, or even sense something, staring at Asia. "You're from Madain Sari," he murmured.

Asia looked at him sharply, before she seemed to sense something from Kiba. She nodded.

Rias pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to gather her thoughts. Eventually, she said, "What is going on? I feel a barrier suddenly come down around where you were meant to be making a pact, Issei, only to sense you confronting a very powerful Exorcist and one other with Light magic. Then, you and this other, presumably this girl, run off just as some Fallen appear, and I make my way here, unsure of whether you've been captured or have done some foolish heroics. I'm guessing the latter. And then, Asia, was it? She uses a spell on me to enhance my speed, and has summoned up some bloody big crustacean thing that wiped out a Fallen as if it were nothing. I could do so myself easily, depending on the Fallen, but even so…"

Asia peered at Rias. "So, you are Issei's King?" On Rias' nod, Asia said, "I am no longer with the Fallen, or the Church. So make of that what you…" Asia suddenly sagged to the ground, Issei catching her. "Damn," Asia groaned quietly. "I used up too much of my reserves summoning Zeromus."

"I'll take you home," Issei declared. "We've got a spare bedroom, and my parents know about magic."

"Issei, no! I forbid it!" Rias snapped. When he glared at her, she matched it. "Even if she's no longer an ally of the Church or the Fallen trying to gain a foothold here, she may still be a target of the Fallen, if only for revenge, or maybe for her Sacred Gear! And you'll get caught in the crossfire!"

Issei snarled, the anger at the Fallen and at Freed turning onto Rias. "And so what, I just leave her? I'm not going to let anyone hurt her!"

"Don't be an idiot!"

"What, like you are being?" Rias gaped at the audacity of the remark, as if slapped across the face, while Issei continued relentlessly. He remembered his brethren, forced to be weapons by Brahne and Kuja, slaves, and thought about his own situation, now Rias' little pet. "I noticed that you waited until _after_ I was dying to make me part of your Peerage, part of your little circle of so-called friends. You had me over a barrel, when I had no choice but to ask you to save my life by turning me into a Devil. I might not have joined your Peerage if you asked, but I might have wanted to become your friend anyway. But that's the thing, isn't it? Maybe Rias Gremory can't make friends unless she has them as _her indentured bloody servants!_ "

As he stormed away, the semiconscious Asia in his arms, he snarled, "I don't care if you declare me a Stray. I'm not your slave, I'm not your servant, and if you keep this dictatorial bullshit up, I'll never be your friend."

Issei made his way back home, out of the ruined wooded area, anger trailing off him like poisonous smoke. But even then, he was haunted by the sounds of Rias sobbing behind him, even as he was determined to try and ignore it…

 **CHAPTER 6 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Asia's true identity has been revealed, and Issei and Rias have had something of an argument. Now, as much as I like Rias as a character, there are some parts of her character I detest, and Issei has a point. Okay, he's ignorant of the fact that Rias and Sona were ordered to stay away from him, and only recruit him into their Peerages if he was in danger of dying, but even so, in canon, Rias basically waits until Issei dies, and canon Issei would have been all too happy to join without dying, I feel. In addition, while Rias' fears of the Church and the Fallen are well-founded, she also seems willing to let Asia die before recruiting her in canon.**

 **Of course, Issei/Vivi is being somewhat disingenuous and a bit hurtful (out of anger) towards Rias: Rias does genuinely care about her Peerage, and Issei is right about her only having her Peerage as friends (Sona Sitri aside), but for the wrong reasons.**

 **Don't worry, we'll have a reconciliation in the next chapter. Issei will realise, talking to Asia, that he crossed the line. Okay, he needed to give Rias a bit of a wakeup call, but it doesn't mean Rias isn't right. Issei is putting himself at risk, and he did tear Rias a new one a bit too viciously.**

 **Review-answering time! Quite a few people guessed correctly who Asia was the reincarnation of, so congrats.**

 **Reishin Amara** **: You won't be saying that if you knew who Ravel was the reincarnation of. :P**

 **Kruggov** **: Kuja changed his name when he was young (but had regained his memories). He wanted to basically issue a challenge to anyone who remembered him to 'bring it on'. He's still a narcissist, but he's also more assured, even more than in the game.**

 **The Wandering Soul of 1014** **: I'll think about that possibility, that another reincarnated character may have given them that idea. Thanks.**

 **Drednaught** **: As mentioned before, Issei can use Doomsday, but because it causes Shadow damage to his allies, it means that he needs to find a way to shield his comrades from it.**

 **No numbered annotations for this chapter.**


	8. Chapter 7: Understanding

**CHAPTER 7:**

 **UNDERSTANDING**

Issei's parents were surprisingly understanding. True, he didn't tell them the whole truth. However, he did say that Asia, like him, was a mage. Asia had been kicked out of the Church for being a 'witch', and had come to Japan to start anew, only to fall in with a gang of criminals. She had to find a place to stay, at least for the time being.

The next morning, Asia and Issei, after showering and breakfasting, were sitting in the living room of the Hyoudou house. There was still some time before Issei intended to go to school. He wasn't sure he wanted to today, not after the way he exploded at Rias. He had crossed a line, he knew, and he was sure further interactions were going to be awkward.

"So, you knew my daughter," Asia said. "And you said that the man responsible for the genocide of our people is dead?"

"Yeah, but he could have been reincarnated on this world, like you and I…oh, and Kiba."

"He recognised me. What is he?"

"Believe it or not, he's an Eidolon. The Eidolon Alexander."

Asia's eyes widened almost comically. "Alexander?!"

"Yes. Your daughter and another summoner, Eiko, summoned him to protect Alexandria from attack. But he was killed by another. The guy who destroyed Madain Sari, Kuja, did it on the orders of another man, Garland." Issei then gave her a brief overview of how Terra was trying to assimilate Gaia, and Kuja's quest to take Eidolons to overthrow Garland, something she knew something about.

"So, they are dead, along with Terra, but they may yet be reincarnated here," Asia said thoughtfully. "It is good to know that my daughter thrives, and that she has found love. I am uneasy at the fact that her paramour was a Terran, but if Zidane turned his back on Terra's plan, then I am assured. I only saw some of the events, and but dimly, from within the crystal, and I knew something about Terra's plans. Then, the next thing I know, I am Asia Argento. I was left at a church in Italy when I was a baby by my parents. When I was young, I discovered I had not only the Eidolons, whom I thought were guardian angels, but also the ability to heal people, both with White Magic, and my Sacred Gear. My healing ability was seen as a miracle from God."

"And milked for all they were worth, right?" Issei asked.

Asia nodded. "I had a sheltered life, isolated from the world, held up as a saint, or near enough, by greedy Church authorities. I regained my memories of my life as Jane gradually. It's ironic. I am in the body of a teenager, but I remember being the mother to a beautiful girl."

"More beautiful than you know," Issei said with a smile. "She grew up to be truly beautiful. And she was a good comrade to us."

Asia smiled, matching his own, before her face fell. "One day, I came across a Devil, badly injured, near the Church where I lived. I healed him, but I was seen doing so. I tried justifying myself, for isn't the doctrine of the Church is to reach out to those who need it most? And a Devil needs the Lord's guidance most of all. They didn't see it that way, though. I was seen as a witch, excommunicated and cast out into a world I had little experience of. And then, I received an offer of a position with the Church of Descended Light, here in Japan. That's when you met me."

"In a way, you had a lucky escape," Issei said. "Rias told me that that Devil you healed, Diadora Astaroth, is a pretty nasty piece of work, conscripting nuns into his Peerage as his sex slaves." He then scowled as he thought of Rias.

Asia saw this, and said, "I appreciate everything you have done for me, Issei. But…I don't want to cause trouble between you and Rias. You're part of her Peerage."

"So? That just makes me a glorified slave, beholden to her because she revived me."

"Issei…when she was coming for you last night, I saw the concern in her eyes. It wasn't that of someone worried about their property. Rias actually does care about you. Look at it from her point of view."

"Should I?" Issei asked petulantly.

"The Devils and both Angel factions are in a three-way standoff. The wrong thing could spark off a war with humanity in the middle. There'll be no victors, only masses of dead. In your desire to help me, you might end up triggering that war. At the very least, the Fallen will try to attack you in order to obtain me."

"I've fought worse odds when I was with Zidane and your daughter," Issei said. "I don't want to cause a war…but I'll be damned if I abandon someone who helped me."

Asia smiled. "Thank you, Issei. But, by your own admission, that means you should try apologising to Rias. She helped you survive for reasons other than making you part of her Peerage, I think. You said things in anger, things that hurt her. She may be a Devil, but in many respects, she is as human as you and I."

"So what? What I said was true, wasn't it? Anyway, I was intended to be a servant and a slave in another life. I was willing to go along with it for Rias, until she told me to abandon you. Yes, she helped me, but it was for my Sacred Gear."

"No, it was for more than that, I think," Asia said. "Give her a chance. Do you truly believe her to be that heartless?"

After a moment, Issei reluctantly admitted, "No."

Before they could say anything further, there was a knock on the door. **_Well, partner, time to pay the piper_** , Steiner said. **_That's Rias I sense at the door_**.

"She's here," Issei said to Asia. "It's a bit early to go to school, though."

"I guess she came here to talk," Asia said.

Soon, Rias was shown in by Issei's mother. The buxom young Devil sat down, with a little reluctance, next to Asia. Her usually beautiful eyes were bloodshot, from crying, Issei guessed, and he felt a pang of guilt in his heart.

After a moment, she said, "Issei, I'm sorry if I made you feel that way about being part of my Peerage. Like you had no choice. Believe me, I would have approached you earlier, but I had orders from my brother. We were to keep an eye on you, but not approach you, even on a pretext. It's because of your Sacred Gear. If you came to us, it would have been another matter, I would have been happy to have you with us, even if you didn't join the Peerage. And in a way, you were right. Just for the wrong reasons."

"Huh?"

"I am Rias Gremory, Heir to the House of Gremory. What does that say to you? To most of the Underworld, it means they see me as the Heir to the House of Gremory. Not Rias Gremory."

Issei blinked, as he realised what she meant. It was like with Garnet. Most saw her as the Princess, and later Queen, of Alexandria, not Garnet the person. Eventually, he said, "I had a friend like that. A long time ago."

Rias nodded. "One of the few people who treated me like I'm a person and not the Heir to the House of Gremory was Sona. But when I began assembling my Peerage…I had people who I could be friends with. With Akeno, Kiba, and Gasper, they had a choice to become part of my Peerage, though the circumstances under which I met all of them could have been better."

"But Koneko?" Issei asked.

"Her story is her own to tell, but what I will say is that, unless she was made my Rook, she would have been executed for the crimes of another. Only my brother's intervention saved her life. But in spite of that, she is a true friend to me. Issei, you may not believe me, but I would gladly risk my life to help my Peerage. But I also have other considerations to make. That's why I was afraid of the Fallen attacking you."

"You shouldn't have worried," Asia said calmly. "I may not look like much, but that Eidolon I summoned is not the most powerful I can summon. I can look after myself most of the time."

Rias looked over at Asia, sitting next to her. "Kiba spoke to me about you. He claimed that I should trust you. I will do so for now. But how do you know each other? And how do you know such powerful magic?"

"First, I think Issei has something to say." Asia looked over at Issei, who sighed, dreading this. But he needed to say it.

Eventually, he said, "Rias, I'm sorry. I was angry, and, well, I've got issues about servitude and slavery. And when you told me to not help someone…it goes against my principles to help someone in need. An old friend of mine once said 'you don't need a reason to help people', and I was angry because you didn't let me help Asia. But I shouldn't have hurt you."

Rias nodded, smiling in relief. "Issei…I understand. I came as soon as I could sense you fighting the Exorcist and the Fallen. I'm glad you didn't need saving." Then, she looked at Asia. "Now, may I have some answers, please?"

Asia nodded. "Firstly, Rias, do you accept the existence of reincarnation? Not that brought about by your Evil Pieces, but that the souls of the dead may be reborn in new bodies?"

"I'm not sure. But you are presumably saying that this exists, am I correct?"

Asia nodded again. "However, Issei and I are not reincarnations from your world. Freed, the Exorcist we had fought, as well as Kiba, that was the blonde-haired boy, right? They're both from the same world as Issei and I come from. Our world is called Gaia. I was once Jane, a summoner of a village known as Madain Sari, before it was attacked by agents of another world called Terra. They feared our ability to call upon the help of magical beings known as Eidolons."

"I was a golem mage, created as a prototype for a weapon of war," Issei said. "My name was Vivi. Freed was once a similar sort of golem mage, named Black Waltz Number 3. And Kiba was once an Eidolon, known as Alexander."

"You saw another Eidolon, one I command," Asia said to Rias. "I command the 13 Lucavi, the Zodiac Eidolons, one for each of the 12 Zodiac constellations, along with one representing the constellation Serpentarius, or Ophiuchus as it is better known on this world. Judging by what I felt last night, Alexander's power has diminished thanks to his demise, but his potential should not be dismissed."

Rias frowned. "Ophiuchus…that's concerning."

"Why?" Asia asked.

"Ophiuchus is associated with the constellation Serpens…sometimes known as Ophis(1)."

Asia frowned. "And what means…?"

 ** _Partner, Rias speaks of the Ouroboros Dragon Ophis_** , Steiner rumbled.

Issei nodded. "Steiner just told me you're worried about something called the Ouroboros Dragon, right?"

"Right. Sometimes known as the 'Infinite Dragon God'," Rias said. "A being with the ability to kill Gods. Even a Longinus is nothing compared to Ophis. We're talking about a being who could shatter this world into dust just by tapping it with their pinky…if they're in human form. I just hope it's a coincidence."

"Zodiark, the Eidolon in question, is the most powerful of my Eidolons. I do not know if he is related to this Ophis, but he does take the form of a massive serpent with feathered wings," Asia said.

Rias pursed her lips, before shaking her head. "Never mind that, then. Asia…if you would prefer that name…can I offer you…"

"A place in your Peerage?" Asia asked, raising an eyebrow. "That's a bit sudden, isn't it?"

"Sorry, it's just…I shouldn't have asked. My thoughts have been in a jumble since last night, and I've spent the past several hours second-guessing myself. I just thought, if you had rejected the Church, you might be amenable to joining my Peerage. I'm sorry, I didn't want to offend you."

Asia smiled sympathetically. "It's all right. I understand. I'm not offended, but my answer is no, unless I am in danger of dying. I would join your Peerage then. But until that moment, I'd rather remain human. I'm willing to offer you help however I can, but outside of your Peerage. I'm sorry."

Rias nodded sadly. "No, I'm sorry, blurting it out like that, when we barely know each other. It's just that, even with the business of the Fallen, I've got a lot on my mind." After a moment, she said, "Issei, I will trust you and Asia with some information. I was a bit reluctant to tell you earlier. But if this will help you trust me…I want there to be no more secrets between us. Does that help?"

Issei, after a moment, nodded. "Okay. What did you want to tell us about?"

"I'm telling Asia because…even if she can't help me as part of my Peerage, she may know something that can help me. The truth was, part of the reason I wanted you in my Peerage was to help me in an impending Rating Game. One where a lot is at stake. At my age, I technically cannot undertake an official Rating Game, but unofficial Rating Games can be used to settle disputes. And…I was stuck in an engagement to a man I didn't want to marry. Riser Phoenix."

Issei remembered the name from Rias' lesson, and how much loathing Rias had towards that name. "So, you wanted my help in breaking that engagement?"

"Yes. It wasn't the only reason I wanted you in my Peerage: you caught my interest, and had you approached me yourself, I would have gladly agreed to be your friend. I would have even brought you into the Occult Research Club as an honorary member. But back to Riser. He is an arrogant egotist who made his Peerage his own personal harem, as I told you, with the exception of his little sister. Ravel acted as a field commander and strategist. Riser is particularly arrogant because of the innate regenerative ability of the Phoenix family, making him unbeaten on the battlefield, save for a couple of Rating Games where he threw the match to gain favours with his opponents. At least until recently. The unthinkable happened, and he lost. And he lost badly. At stake was my engagement, along with Ravel. I am now to be married to another Devil of considerable power, but he is, by reputation, as bad as Riser."

"You can't cancel the engagement?" Asia asked.

"Only by winning an unofficial Rating Game. My father seems ridiculously fixated on having powerful Devil grandchildren, even with my nephew being born, so much so that he refuses to listen to my objections. He also uses the justification that our people were decimated by the wars we had with Heaven and the Fallen, and I must do my duty to repopulate our people. I agree, yes, but I wish to choose my suitor, not be sold like cattle. My brother can do little: although he is one of the Four Great Satans, he also has to be seen as impartial, or at least relatively so. He can give me advice and help indirectly, and it's only thanks to him that this Rating Game option is open, but even so…I fear for my freedom. Riser saw me as little more than a prize to win and brag about, and I have little doubt that Kuja will see it the same way."

Issei felt his blood run cold when he heard that name. "…What did you call him?"

"Kuja. Kuja Naberius, the rising star of the Naberius family," Rias said. Then, she realised something. "You know him, don't you?"

"…Do you have a picture of him?"

Rias nodded, and fished out a photo. And Issei felt his blood run ever colder when he looked into those familiar features, the effeminate face framed by lavender hair, the cold blue eyes.

There was no mistaking it. Kuja had been reincarnated on this world. And that meant they were in a LOT of trouble…

 **CHAPTER 7 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Hope you liked that, with Rias now on the same page as Issei and Asia, and Issei learning about Kuja. And thanks to what I learned in annotation number 1, I think I've got an interesting little plot hook…**

 **Review-answering time! I'm glad people liked the reveal of Asia as Jane's reincarnation, as well as a deconstruction of Rias' actions. Keep in mind that I was using that bit to voice some parts of Rias' character I am troubled with. I still like Rias, but I also think there are times when she needs a kick up her shapely derriere.**

 **KazuSakai** **: I think I've seen at least one, although it's set after Issei gets called out on being oblivious to Rias' love. His reaction is rather understandable: he's worried about love thanks to what Raynare did to him. He just ups and leaves the Peerage. But keep in mind that, in most stories (and in canon) that Issei is an idiot.**

 **1\. When I punched in 'Ophis' into Wikipedia, the disambiguation page leads to the article on the constellation Serpens, which is part of the image that Ophiuchus belongs to. This little bit of happenstance seems too good to pass up, and might lead to something in the future…**


	9. Chapter 8: The Battle for Asia

**CHAPTER 8:**

 **THE FIGHT FOR ASIA**

"I hate going through puberty again," Asia muttered to herself as she walked alongside Issei and Rias on the way to Kuoh Academy. "It was bad enough the first time around."

"Hey, I _never_ got to go through puberty before I died as Vivi," Issei retorted. "Seriously, the only reason I knew what hormones were was because Mikoto and Doctor Tot were discussing how the Genomes reproduced and developed once, and I happened to eavesdrop. I learned more about sex-ed that day than anything Zidane taught me. And it was pretty traumatic, too. I think it actually hastened my death!"

Rias giggled, despite herself. Then her face became pensive and solemn. "Issei…thank you for accepting my apology. And thank you for listening to me. It means a lot to me."

"I know. And thanks for accepting my apology. I just…got so angry. Rias, you're a good person, Devil or not. I just think you need to see things from others' points of view sometimes. But I need to take my own advice. An arranged marriage, and to someone like Riser, never mind Kuja…" Issei sighed.

"You seem to know Kuja better than I do, or at least his former incarnation," Rias said. "What was he like?"

"Narcissistic. Megalomaniacal. He was driven by a desire to free himself from his master. Like me, he was a created being, engineered to be a weapon of death and destruction. He may be flamboyant, but he's also powerful, and he's a master of psychological warfare. That being said, if he's anything like he was back home, he's a powerful mage, but not physically strong. He favours powerful magical attacks." Issei frowned. "If he's able to enter Trance normally, then we'd be in trouble. Back home, he needed to house multiple souls to enter Trance, but Mikoto told me that was because Kuja was 'born' as an adult, whereas she and Zidane were allowed to develop from childhood."

"I see what you mean," Asia said. "If he had a normal childhood in this world, he may have the ability to use Trance normally."

"And when he was in Trance, he was able to use Ultima," Issei muttered, remembering the power of the spell nearly killing him and his friends, as well as Kuja using it to destroy Terra.

"I'll have to ask Sona and Grayfia if witnesses saw him transforming during a Rating Game," Rias decided. "After this business with the Fallen is over, I think we'll have to train a lot."

"We will. Even both times we defeated Kuja, he managed to make it a Pyrrhic victory," Issei said. "Has he got a full Peerage?"

"No. He's about the same as me, in terms of numbers. But he chooses his Peerage with care. Until he recruited Ravel Phoenix to his Peerage, he had one of each piece, though he had no Pawns. He has a Queen, two Bishops, a Knight and a Rook. Like Riser, he seems to be making a collection of beautiful fighters, but he also seems to detest the idea of a harem."

"That sounds like Kuja. He loved beautiful things," Issei said, remembering the Desert Palace. "He'd probably still view you as a prize. But how can your father do such a thing? I mean, put you into a loveless arranged marriage?"

"Simple. He is greedy for more prestige and power. He is…or was…a good man, but it's not enough even to have a son become one of the Four Great Satans, or a grandson in the form of my nephew Milicas. And arranged marriages happen frequently in our society. What he is hoping for is a grandchild that combines the Power of Destruction I inherited from my mother, who was of the Bael family, with the regenerative powers of the Phoenix family. He's even considering marrying Milicas off to Ravel, which would be a better match, frankly."

"And your brother can't interfere because of politics, right?" Asia asked.

"Right. The Phoenix family is very influential. My brother has a lot of power as the current Lucifer, true, but if he interferes too much, the other families allied with the Phoenix family can make trouble, which could lead to civil war, and while he would win, it might lead to the Fallen or Heaven making their move if they think we're weakened. And that we can't afford. He has to toe the line. It doesn't mean he can't give me help, he just has to be judicious about what help he gives, otherwise, the Phoenix family will cry foul." Rias sighed. "And, frankly, part of it's my fault. I wanted to make my own way in the world, and try to solve my own problems. That's part of the reason your words hurt me. I try to take responsibility for my actions. And I feel responsible for my Peerage members. It also hurt me to let Raynare kill you. But as I said, I was under orders. My brother, and indeed the Four Great Satans in general, had taken an interest in you. I'm still not sure why. I think they may have thought you part of the Khaos Brigade."

"The what?" Issei asked.

 ** _I can help you there, partner_** , Steiner said. **_Think of the Khaos Brigade as a group of supernatural terrorists, but splintered into various factions. Each faction has its own agenda. I have heard rumours that it was started by Ophis as a means of evicting the Great Red Dragon from their home in the Dimensional Gap_**.

As Issei relayed this to Rias, she nodded. "I didn't know about Ophis being involved, though that's disturbing enough. But it's true that Ophis and the Great Red Dragon have a mutual antagonism. Of course, information about the Khaos Brigade is pretty thin. I have heard rumours that Koneko's sister may have joined."

"Do you think Koneko will ever tell me about her past?" Issei asked.

"It's up to her. That being said, it might be sooner than you think," Rias said with a smile. "While she didn't like what you said to me last night, the truth is, she likes you better than she lets on. Partly because you give the Perverted Duo grief. One of the things she hates most are perverts. But she also likes how you know what she is, and don't care. Same for Akeno. Akeno really likes you, and that's pretty rare for her. But you know she's half-Fallen, and you don't hold it against her."

"Well, not all of the Fallen are like Raynare or Dohnaseek, right?" Issei asked.

Rias shrugged as they began walking through a park. "Probably not, but the truth is, the Fallen and the Devils are often at each other's throats, partly because we share the same living space, namely the Underworld. There's some communication between the Four Great Satans and the leader of the Fallen, Azazel, though, and he's apparently pretty easy to get along with. But he's also one of the most powerful Fallen as well. The truth of the matter is, Issei, that all Fallen need to be considered enemies. I'm not saying you should go out of your way to attack them: quite the opposite. If anything, flee. If they want parley, be wary. And if they attack first…" Suddenly, some instinct made her grab Issei and Asia, and dive to the side, just as a hail of Light-Spears smashed into the ground. They dashed into cover in the trees, Issei activating Steiner as he did so.

" _Protect, Shell, Haste, Regen, Auto-Life_ ," Asia intoned quietly, casting the spells on the three of them in rapid succession as they hid behind a particularly large tree.

"What were those spells?" Rias asked. "I remember Haste made me faster, but the others?"

"Protect and Shell reduces the damage from physical and magical attacks respectively," Asia explained. "Regen gives you an automatic healing. And Auto-Life will revive you from the dead automatically, but only once per casting."

Rias nodded. "Handy." She peeked around the tree, and grimaced. "Three Fallen, plus a deranged-looking Exorcist. I recognise one of the Fallen from last night. I need to summon the others, even the odds. Asia, Issei, cover me. Once we've got the whole Peerage here, we've got a good chance."

Asia nodded, before chanting quietly. "Come to me, Eidolon of Lightning, Lucavi of Capricorn. Come to me, Adrammelech, the Wroth!"

Something that looked like a goat-headed, winged demon appeared. As it flew at the Fallen with a roar, Issei fired off a Demi spell, while waiting for Steiner to boost his power enough. He hadn't managed to use him in the previous battles. A flare of crimson light behind him told him that Rias had managed to summon the rest of her Peerage. "President, what's going on?!" Akeno asked.

"The Fallen are attacking! If they're daring to attack me," Rias said, "they must think getting Asia or killing her is worth the ruckus of killing me. We'll show them why that's a bad idea. Asia, can you use those spells on my Peerage?"

Asia nodded, before intoning, " _Protect, Shell, Haste, Regen, Auto-Life_." Light suffused the others.

Kiba smiled, and nodded to the young ex-nun. "I think using Haste on me is going to be overkill. Rias, do we kill or capture?"

"Capture one if you can, we might need to interrogate them, find out their plans. But the Exorcist is definitely expendable," Rias said. "Akeno, can you raise a barrier?"

Akeno smirked, her school uniform shifting into a _miko_ outfit. "Will I get to play with my new spells?"

"Yes, but don't play around too much. This is in deadly earnest," Rias said. "These idiots are playing for keeps. So must we."

As Akeno brought barriers into existence, Kiba rushed out, just as the Fallen and Freed had managed to defeat Adrammelech. Kiba's speed was already insane, but with Haste on top of it…none of the Fallen could follow his moves. Neither could Freed. One of them, the apparent teenager who had fought alongside Dohnaseek (didn't Dohnaseek call her Mittelt?), was swatted out of the sky by a tree trunk wielded by Koneko. Issei and Akeno worked together to pelt the Fallen with spells. Rias charged up a Power of Destruction orb, and managed to catch the third Fallen, a woman in what looked like a minidress, with it, disintegrating her.

"Kalawarner!" Raynare screamed. But that distracted her long enough for Akeno to hit her, and the still-stunned Mittelt, with Stop spells she had learned from Issei.

Freed stared, before he glared at Issei. "Come on, Vivi! Haven't you got the balls to fight me one on one?! Or do you need the Devil slut to back you up?"

 ** _EXPLOSION!_** Steiner roared as Issei finally finished Boosting. Issei then glared at his longtime nemesis.

"Black Waltz Number 3!" he yelled. "This is the last dance for you!" He then turned to Rias. "Don't interfere unless things aren't going my way, please. I need to do this."

"Okay. Don't die, Issei. That is an order from your King."

Issei charged at Freed with a roar, dodging the bullets the insane Exorcist fired at him. In retaliation, he sent Fira spells at the former Black Waltz, who dodged them…until one of them hit the ground in front of the Exorcist, throwing up a cloud of smoke. Issei charged through the smoke, surprising Freed, who was slammed through the air by a vicious punch. Issei then charged forward, his abilities enhanced by the boosting Steiner gave him, and followed it up with an uppercut that fractured Freed's jaw, and sent him flying, his gun and sword dropped. Issei followed it up with a Fire spell that added insult to injury.

Smoke pouring from his body, Freed's body crashed to the ground. "How…?" Freed rasped. "How can…a pitiful…little Black Mage…beat a Black Waltz…again?"

"A few reasons. I've improved my magic, I've even got a Sacred Gear, a Longinus, but that means little without determination, the desire to protect friends!" Issei said. "Have you got any last words?"

"Fuck you…I'll come back from the dead one day…" Freed said. "And I will rape and murder… _everyone_ you hold dear. And then…I will put an end to _you!_ "

Issei's only reply was one word. " _Flare._ " Energy coalesced around Freed, and with an agonised scream, he was reduced to ashes as the magical equivalent of nuclear fusion consumed him.

And with it, a chapter had closed on Issei's life.

* * *

Raynare, who wasn't really enjoying the fact that she had been captured by the Fallen, was nonetheless staring at Issei as he came back. "I thought it was only a bloody Twice Critical," she murmured in a lost little voice. "Not a Longinus…not the Boosted Gear."

"What about Asia?" Rias asked, glaring at the Fallen. "Did you want to kill her outright, recruit her, or steal her own Sacred Gear?"

"Steal it. Though why do you care?" Raynare sneered, albeit half-heartedly. "I would've thought you would have made her part of your Peerage."

"Then you don't know me very well, Raynare," Rias said. "But I heard that Azazel has given orders to merely observe Sacred Gear holders, not kill them or extract them, which is the same thing."

"Azazel says a lot of things," Raynare said, her expression filled with mixed feelings. Sadness, anger, contempt, even longing. "The Grigori are splintering, and he can't hold us together. War is coming, and he won't prepare us. I love him, but as a leader for the Grigori…I don't think he's up to the task. What are you going to do to us?"

"Given that you were bold enough to attack the Heir to the House of Gremory, I would be well within my rights to kill you both," Rias said. "Asia here went with one of my Peerage willingly. But…I think it will be more fitting that I send you two to my brother, so he can bring you two up with Azazel. At the very least, it will embarrass the Fallen. Azazel might even try to bargain for your lives."

Mittelt muttered expletives under her breath sullenly, while Raynare looked resigned and annoyed. "Issei," Raynare said. "I need to ask you something. Consider it a last request in case I die."

"What?"

"Freed went on and on about how you and he had fought in another life, on some world called Gaia. He even claimed that Asia was from that world. I thought he was being a lunatic. Was he right?"

Issei nodded. "We're reincarnations of people from another world. So's Kiba. Freed…I had encountered in that life. He was a vicious killing machine then, as he was now."

Raynare laughed bitterly. "And here I was thinking he was a delusional nutter. More than usual, anyway. He was a useful nutter."

Asia looked at the two Fallen with pity. "Raynare, Mittelt, I hope you can learn from this. Please do. You can be better than this."

"I don't need your pity!" Mittelt yelled petulantly.

"No, but you'll need Azazel's to make sure you survive this," Asia said. "I'll pray for your continued service under him."

* * *

Soon, the two Fallen were left in the care of Sirzechs Lucifer. They needed to get to school, and touch base with Sona, in order to have her cover for them at Kuoh Academy for being late for school. But Rias, her Peerage, and Asia became something of a group now. And they would need it, for the threat of Kuja was lurking on the horizon…

 **CHAPTER 8 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Not much to say, only that this is the fight scene you guys were probably looking forward to. Hope you liked it. The reason why Asia summoned Adrammelech was that he would be less draining on her reserves (in** ** _Final Fantasy XII_** **, Adrammelech uses only one Mist Charge, whereas Zeromus uses two, so the former would use less MP than the latter), and she needed to have an Eidolon as a distraction for the Fallen while Rias summoned the cavalry.**

 **The next chapter will be Rias, her Peerage, and Asia discussing how to approach the upcoming Rating Game with Kuja.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Reishin Amara** **: …Who the fuck is Jack Rakan? Then again, I really haven't read much of** ** _Negima_** **. The characters I know are Negi, Asuna, Evangeline and Chachamaru.**

 **redburningdragon** **: While Koneko has been overlooked in previous chapters, I have a nice little conversation with her, Asia, and Issei in Chapter 10, the last chapter written to date of this story. I think in this dynamic, she's basically the little sister of the Peerage, and while she can look after herself, Issei and Asia will have a protective attitude to her. So you'll be pleased to know that she'll have at least one good scene. I do feel a bit iffy about having her in a relationship with Issei, though, given how young she looks.**

 **No numbered annotations for this chapter.**


	10. Chapter 9: Discussion

**CHAPTER 9:**

 **DISCUSSION**

Asia contemplated the file Rias had given her on Kuja. The Occult Research Club was convening, with Asia now part of the Club, having enrolled in the school. "So, this is the man who you will have to challenge to a Rating Game to break off the engagement?"

The buxom red-haired Devil nodded. "While technically I cannot be asking a member of the Church for help, the fact is, you were excommunicated. And while you are not a member of my Peerage, I also appreciate any input you might have."

"There's definitely one thing I can offer that you might not be able to get normally," Asia said. "Holy water. I may have been excommunicated, but I still know how to bless water in a way that is damaging to Devils. Obviously, it's a double-edged sword, but even against one like Riser Phoenix, it would be devastating." Her eyes went over to Kiba. "Can you use your own holy powers from when you were Alexander?"

"No," Kiba said, shaking his head. "Garland's way of killing me destroyed many of my powers when I reincarnated here. I have the means to create swords through my Sacred Gear, as well as create swords of light, but my Light of Judgement is no longer an option."

"Damn. I can teach Akeno and Issei how to use White Magic. Issei may not have as much of an aptitude for it, given how he is more of a Black Mage, but it can't hurt to try. And Akeno seems to be closer to what we would have called a Red Mage on Gaia: one who can use both Black and White Magic. And being your Queen, that means she should have reserves enough to enhance everyone in your Peerage, and have enough to hit your enemies with offensive magic."

"You can't give us the usage of your Eidolons?" Akeno asked.

"No. They are innate to a summoner, unless they are extracted into a crystal focus. And even then, they require a massive infusion of magic on the focus, unless you're a summoner yourself. And as I'm not part of this Peerage, I can't participate directly in the Rating Game."

"Even having holy water would be an advantage, Asia," Rias said. "Most Devils would never think of that as being a weapon, as we can't handle being splashed with it. But on the flipside, we need to be careful of artifacts on their side. Ravel Phoenix is part of Kuja's Peerage now, and as the Phoenix family can use their tears to heal people…"

"True. You do have some advantages with your Peerage. Take Koneko here. How widely known is it that she is a _nekomata?_ "

"I don't know whether Riser or Kuja know it, or at least remember it," Rias said. "The events leading to Koneko becoming my Rook were something of a major scandal at the time, true, but it could have been forgotten."

"Especially as I hide my _nekomata_ heritage, and have changed my name," Koneko said.

"My point is that Koneko looks petite and weak, but as your Rook, she is anything but, and people would underestimate her. It's certainly not well known that Issei is the bearer of a Longinus, and the Booster Gear at that. Combined with his Black Magic, and you have a mage who can also be a physical powerhouse, as you saw with Freed. But he needs time to get the Boosted Gear up in power. He can also only Boost so many times given the limits on his body. So some physical training is needed to help. How soon do you think you'll be challenged to a Rating Game?"

"My brother and his wife, Grayfia Lucifuge, have told me that my father and Lord Phoenix were moving the engagement up at the time when I was still engaged to Riser, despite my desire to finish university first. I wouldn't be surprised if my father and the Head of the Naberius family decided on the same thing, and my brother has indicated that. If I'm lucky, we have a few months at least. But given our good friend Finagle's Law, I'm thinking maybe a few weeks. Grayfia will probably get a hold of me and have us sit down to a final 'mediation meeting' with Kuja, as one last token gesture. It would really just be a formality before the Rating Game is declared," Rias concluded.

"And there's no other way to get out of the engagement?"

"Short of losing my virginity? No. And even that's not a guarantee to break it. When I first got Issei onto my Peerage, I considered seducing him if things got desperate. But no, this Rating Game is frankly my only serious hope."

"Damn," Asia said quietly.

Issei was struck by an idea. "Akeno, can I speak to you privately for a moment?"

* * *

In an adjacent room, Akeno looked at Issei. "What did you need to talk to me about?" she asked. She obviously knew it was serious, her usually demure smile gone. Indeed, she looked nervous. Which was good. He needed to ask her a serious question.

"Akeno…I need to ask you a very personal question. Are you capable of creating Light-Spears?" Issei asked. Seeing the look on her face, Issei said hurriedly, "I know you hate your Fallen heritage, but the thing is…this is Rias' happiness on the line. And if we're facing Kuja…we need every advantage we can get."

Akeno, after a moment, said quietly, "You don't know what you're asking of me."

"Not wholly," Issei conceded. "But I know it's a very big ask."

"…I've never tried. I have inherited, however, something even more powerful. I just haven't…wanted to use it. Because it reminds me too much of my father."

"What is it?" Issei urged gently.

"Holy Lightning."

"Let me guess…it's like light magic mixed with your lightning attacks, right?"

Akeno nodded, the buxom Nephilim looking pensive. "But…I don't really want to have to use it if I can help it."

"Rias might need it, Akeno. I'm sorry to put you in this position, but I want to help Rias. Also, I think Asia can teach you a White Magic spell that might help anyway. White Magic normally doesn't have offensive spells, but there's one: _Holy_."

"Holy?"

"The Ultimate White Magic. But Akeno…Rias didn't care that you're a Nephilim, and I don't either. Can you promise me that you'll consider training in this Holy Lightning for her?"

Akeno looked at Issei for a long time, before saying, "I can't promise that I will use it. But I promise to consider it. Issei…I'm glad you were concerned about Rias. A couple of nights ago, when you tore into her, I was angry, I will admit. But at the same time, I could understand why you were angry. Rias is far from heartless, though."

"I know. We're all Devils here, save for Asia, but we're not evil. I just…if I left Asia, I would be betraying one of my principles, something one of my dearest friends taught me."

"Is this one of the ones from your former life?" Akeno asked. "Rias and Kiba explained it fully last night."

"Yeah. His name was Zidane Tribal. Like you, and like me, he came to hate the circumstances of his birth. Like me, he was created to be a weapon of mass destruction, an 'Angel of Death'. His brother turned out to be Kuja, and his father, or rather, creator, was a man, well, an android by the name of Garland. Garland had arguably good intentions: saving his own civilisation. But you know what the road to hell is paved with." Issei giggled. "You know, Zidane'd probably be encouraging me to try and ask you or Rias out if he was here."

"Oh? Did he have an eye for the ladies?"

"When I first met him, yes. He was a bit like the Perverted Duo, only far more endearing and tactful. Relatively, anyway. He flirted with just about anyone. But after a certain point, he had an eye on only one girl: Princess Garnet. Asia's former life was Garnet's birth mother." Issei sighed. "Look, I know Rias is a good person in the end. So are you, Akeno, your… _tendencies_ aside. I envy the guy who's lucky enough to win your heart. You're beautiful, compassionate, and smart."

Akeno smiled. "That's a sweet thing for you to say, Issei. It's a shame I didn't get to know you before you were made a Devil. It's heartening to know someone doesn't hold my Fallen heritage against me."

"Being a Fallen doesn't necessarily make you evil, any more than being a Devil does, does it?" Issei asked.

"No…no, it doesn't," Akeno said. She then kissed Issei gently on the forehead, the pair of them blushing a bit. Issei wasn't without lustful thoughts, he just knew better than to voice them, unlike the Perverted Duo. And unlike them (or Riser Phoenix for that matter), he also didn't have ambitions to have a harem. Oh, he would 'shop around' for the right girl, so to speak, but once he found the right girl, and they had gotten into a serious relationship, then he'd settle down.

Of course, it didn't stop a slight trickle of blood to emerge from his nostril from being so close to Akeno and her prodigious breasts.

* * *

When they came back in to the main clubroom, Rias looked at Akeno with a question in her eyes. Akeno shook her head slightly, and indicated that she would talk later, in private. Rias nodded, before she said to Asia, "In answer to your question, Asia, using Gasper at this point is out of the question. He can't control his power, and I don't think he's psychologically prepared to come out of his room anyway, let alone to do battle. Issei has actually done some good, chatting to him via computer, so eventually, I may be able to use Gasper. But at the moment, Issei's my sole Bishop."

"I was a mother in my previous life, Rias," Asia said. "If you can, petition your brother to allow me access to him. I may be able to heal Gasper's psychological wounds. That will win half the battle, as it sounds like part of his problem with controlling the Balor Forbidden View is his psychological issues."

"I'll ask my brother. If nothing else, you'll be able to talk to Gasper via the online chatroom he uses," Rias said. "But I should be able to sell it to my brother. Officially, outside his duties as Lucifer, he is concerned about my father's reckless desire. If I can get Gasper to be by my side in a Rating Game…"

"It negates the slight numerical advantage Kuja has against you. He has two Bishops to use against you, and if you can only use Issei, you have only one."

"It could be worse," Kiba said. "Riser had a full Peerage, after all, and at least we're not facing that."

"And Kuja beat that with _his_ Peerage," Koneko pointed out. "It's not the size of the Peerage, but what you do with it." The petite _nekomata_ then scowled when she realised she had accidentally used what could be construed as innuendo.

"Agreed. And unlike Riser, Kuja is not afraid to be in the thick of battle from the beginning," Rias said. "It's risky, given that if the King is retired too soon, it's game over. But he manages it."

After a moment's thought, Issei realised something. "Rias…something just occurred to me. We should keep quiet about the fact that we know of Gaia and Terra, and that Kuja is a reincarnation, along with us. If he knows some of your Peerage is from Gaia and knows of him…"

"He might counter accordingly. Whereas if it's done in the heat of battle, it may actually work against him," Rias concluded.

"This file has nothing on his Peerage," Asia said. "Do you know anything about them?"

"A little. His Queen is known as Tiamat of the Tempest. I presume that is to distinguish herself from the Dragon Queen of the Five Dragon Kings. His Knight is known as Marilith of the Inferno. His Rook is known as Kraken of the Deluge. And his Bishop, other than Ravel, is Lich of the Calamity."

"The Four Guardians of Terra, aka the Chaos Demons," Issei mused, remembering fighting them in Memoria, and fighting Tiamat alongside Steiner, the original Steiner. "I thought you said they were beautiful?"

"They are. I saw pictures of them."

Issei blinked. He was trying to think of a beautiful version of Lich, Tiamat, or Kraken, and failing miserably. Marilith, he could envision as a beautiful woman, as she was basically a sexy woman, albeit with a snake-like body below the waist. That, and a vicious temperament. Combined with a lot of swords, well…

Of course, that was beside the point. "The Four Guardians of Terra were pretty tough," Issei said. "They embodied the Four Elements, as you might guess from their names. Tiamat was a four-headed dragon, Marilith a sort of lamia, Kraken…well, I think you can guess what he was, and Lich was a skeleton. They were also very powerful. But at least I know what we're up against, to a degree."

"Well, that's good. I've decided, we'll train for a half-day on the weekends until we get a definitive date. If we have time before the game, we'll make a retreat of it," Rias decided. "This will be _our_ first Rating Game. I'd say 'no pressure', but that's a lie. We need to give it our absolute best. Am I understood?"

Issei nodded, but he had to wonder, between Akeno's shame at her heritage, and (from what little he had observed given her reactions to being called a _nekomata_ ) Koneko's self-loathing, would they give it their absolute best?

 **CHAPTER 9 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **The next chapter or two will be filler before the whole Kuja thing. After all, the Asia arc got resolved more swiftly than in canon. But there's a few things I want to bring into the story. Firstly, I'm bringing back Raynare and Mittelt as (reluctant) allies of Rias and company, on Azazel's orders. They've been explicitly ordered to protect Asia, as well as observe her and Rias' Peerage. Secondly, I want to do some examination of Koneko as a character. In canon, I get the feeling she kept her distance from Issei because he's an unrepentant pervert, whereas here, she warms up to him better. And I'm considering whether to have Asia manage to help Gasper become ready for the Rating Game.**

 **Another thing I want to do is develop the relationship between Issei and Akeno. While I still haven't actually finalised the pairing, I am leaning more towards Issei/Akeno at the moment (and if that's the case, I'm thinking either Rias/Vali, or Rias/Kiba). Speaking of Akeno, I had a look at her page on TV Tropes, and it said she inherited the Holy Lightning from her father Baraquiel, but didn't use it until she got over her issues about being half-Fallen. Part of the coming chapters will be her overcoming her qualms about using it. But I need to ask the hardcore** ** _Highschool DxD_** **fans, can Akeno create Light-Spears?**

 **BTW, hope you liked the reveal of Kuja's Peerage. To be honest, I didn't even know who they should be until I wrote this chapter. I then got hit by a flash of inspiration. It was tricky deciding what Kraken and Lich were in the Peerage. And yes, they'll all be female versions. Then again, technically, Tiamat is female. I know there's a character in** ** _Highschool DxD_** **called Tiamat, hence Rias musing about the name.**

 **Finally, before I get onto the reviews, I am completing my** ** _Final Fantasy IX_** **/Harry Potter crossover** ** _Xenophilia_** **before long. I will be ending it with the 14** **th** **chapter. Feel free to read that, along with my other Harry Potter/** ** _Final Fantasy IX_** **crossovers:** ** _A Third Summoner_** **and** ** _Amethyst and Garnet_** **. Finally, I have two pure** ** _Final Fantasy IX_** **fics:** ** _Raison d'Etre_** **(where Mikoto ends up on Gaia at about the point where Disc Two of the game ends) and** ** _Zidane of Burmecia_** **(where Zidane is raised as the adopted brother of Freya).**

 **Review-answering time! I'm finding myself not giving a flying fuck about who Jack Rakan is now.**

 **redburningdragon** **: I like her too. I like the quiet characters in the various anime series, like Rei Ayanami from** ** _Neon Genesis Evangelion_** **, and Yuki Nagato in** ** _Haruhi Suzumiya_** **. Plus, given what happened to Koneko/Shirone in the past, you feel the need to give her a big hug. Then again, you can say that about most of Rias' Peerage: Akeno, Gasper, Kiba…**

 **celf** **: Yeah, that's a bit of a cliché. In fact, the original homeworld of the Cybermen from** ** _Doctor Who_** **, Mondas, is based on the Latin** ** _mundus_** **, something that's even alluded to briefly in their debut story,** ** _The Tenth Planet_** **(which was done decades before Pluto got demoted, and was set decades before that too). Incidentally, I use the name 'Mondas' for the otherwise unnamed world of** ** _Final Fantasy VIII_** **for my crossover with** ** _Evangelion_** **,** ** _Anchor of Ultimecia_** **.**

 **No numbered annotations.**


	11. Chapter 10: Encouragement

**CHAPTER 10:**

 **ENCOURAGEMENT**

That night, it was a quiet night for pacts, and Issei and Asia were going to head back home early, with Rias' permission. Koneko opted to escort them home. Rias told them that the young _nekomata_ wanted to talk to them about something. Akeno and Rias, meanwhile, were handling the few pacts needing to be made, along with Kiba.

On the way home, Asia decided to buy Koneko some sweets. The usually stoic girl accepted them with a quiet 'thank you', and was even now licking at a lollipop as she escorted them home. She would use one of the Gremory sigils to make her way back to her own home. She was introduced to the Hyoudous as a friend of Issei's and Rias'. Koneko actually liked being treated as 'adorable' and 'cute', though being called 'little' did cause her to tense, Issei and Asia noted.

The two Devils and the ex-nun went into the living room. Koneko sat down demurely opposite the two reincarnated Gaians, licking at her lollipop in a manner that suggested she was trying to lick some extra courage from it.

Eventually, she stopped her ministrations of the candy, and looked at them with her golden eyes. "Rias told me that you wanted to be more open about the Peerage, that there be no secrets between us. I only trust you, Asia, because you helped Rias and Issei without hesitation. And Issei…I was angry at you for attacking Rias verbally. We all were. But…she told me you apologised to her." A faint smirk touched her lips. "And I have enjoyed watching you give those two perverted idiots what they deserve."

"Yeah, well, thinking perverted thoughts is one thing, but voicing them and being voyeurs?" Issei said. "Those two annoy me. My best friend in my old life was a bit of a pervert, but he was also one of the best people you could meet. You remind me a little of his sister, actually. She was like you, quiet and calm." He looked at her. "What did you want to talk about?"

"My past. I was…surprised to learn you knew what I was, even with your communication with Ddraig, or Steiner as you have called him. Thank you for that compliment about my eyes, by the way." The petite _nekomata_ sighed, gathering herself to talk about the truth. Eventually, she said, "My sister and I were in service to another Devil. Kuroka…she went mad with the power innate to our particular type of _nekomata_ , the _nekoshou_ , and murdered our master, before fleeing. I was left to take the blame, partly because I was considered to be as dangerous as she was. Sirzechs Lucifer took pity on me, and offered me the choice to become the Rook of Rias' Peerage. I did so, renouncing my former name."

"…What was your original name?" Asia asked.

After a moment, Koneko admitted "…Shirone."

"That's a beautiful name," Asia said with a smile, one matched by Issei. "I'm sorry you won't use it anymore. But Koneko's a cute name. It suits you."

"Koneko, we won't judge you by what your sister did," Issei said. "It'd be stupid, like me judging Zidane for what Kuja did. Do you want a hug?"

"…I wouldn't say no to one," Koneko said quietly.

A three-way hug ensued, Asia and Issei enveloping the petite Koneko in their embrace. "Koneko…" Issei said, "we're friends, right?"

"…I guess."

"I'm just saying, if you need a shoulder to lean on, I'm here."

"And so am I," Asia said. "In my previous life, I was a mother, Koneko, and I know how hard it is to deal with power. We summoners have to be careful how we use our Eidolons. We're here for you, Koneko."

"…Thank you," Koneko said quietly.

* * *

"He's shaken you, hasn't he?" Rias asked her Queen as they returned to the clubroom after their last pact was made.

"He has, Rias," Akeno said quietly. "I don't like the way he did it, but he has a point. He wasn't nasty about it, it's just that he played on me needing to help you win this."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. Even Issei didn't like using that way, I can tell. He's concerned about you and your happiness, Rias. If anything, I'd be more concerned about what he does to Kuja. Remember, they have a lot of history," Akeno said.

"I'll just have to remind him not to be reckless while fighting Kuja," Rias said. "He got very personal with Freed, dangerously so. And while Freed was a dangerous opponent, Issei was significantly more powerful once he let loose. But the power gap between him and Kuja…"

"Yes, I know. We don't know how much more powerful Kuja is than Issei. Still, you have to admit, he was excellent in that battle. And he showed how well he mastered the Boosted Gear."

"Though he hasn't achieved the Balance Breaker, or else he didn't use it for that battle. I'll have to ask him," Rias mused.

Suddenly, a magic sigil flared, and Grayfia Lucifuge appeared. "Rias, I have news, and sadly, I don't think any of it will be good."

Rias nodded resignedly. "What's wrong?"

"Firstly, Kuja's arranging a meeting for a few days' time," Grayfia said. "It seems that the Rating Game will take place sooner than you'd like. That's the worst news. However, there's something I need you to tell Sona as well. Azazel has come to see his wayward minions, and has negotiated with Sirzechs to allow them to attend Kuoh Academy." She held up a hand to forestall any protests. "Azazel has opted to share vital parts of his research into Sacred Gears with us in exchange for this, and he's made it very clear that Raynare and Mittelt are on a _very_ short leash. The moment they step out of line, he has given you and Sona leave to do as you see fit. Kill them, force them into your Peerage, whatever you want. He pointed out that his orders to the Fallen you fought were merely to observe Issei and ensure his Sacred Gear didn't awaken. He's kicking himself for not realising sooner that it could be interpreted to mean that they would try to kill him."

"I'm surprised he's being so altruistic," Akeno observed with a scowl.

"Azazel doesn't want war to start again, despite some of his underlings wanting that to happen," Grayfia said. "And he heard about the Gaia reincarnation from Raynare and Mittelt. He's more of a scientist than a military commander, so reincarnation, and from another world, naturally intrigues him. He'll come here tomorrow under the banner of parley, with Raynare and Mittelt. Sirzechs has made it clear he will annihilate Azazel if he breaks parley."

Rias pinched the bridge of her nose. "Sadly, having Azazel here would be better than Kuja. We can trust him?"

"To a certain degree. Azazel also said he might have some ideas for strengthening your Peerage, especially Gasper. Incidentally, Sirzechs has given his permission for Asia to speak to Gasper personally. I doubt you'd be able to get him ready in time for your unofficial Rating Game with Kuja, but even so, every bit counts. I have to confess to being astonished that Asia has agreed so readily to help you. Then again, she is excommunicated, and given that she can summon these…Eidolons, it's doubtful that the Church wants her back. A shame she has refused to become part of your Peerage unless she is dying."

"I would prefer to honour that wish," Rias said. "I am certainly not like Diadora Astaroth with his damned nun collection!" Issei's words during his tirade came back to her. "My Peerage may be my friends, but that doesn't mean I can't have friends outside of it. Asia…I think she's a friend."

"Good. Now, when Kuja arrives, I want your Peerage to be on their best behaviour, especially those who are reincarnated Gaians. Kuja is at least better-mannered than Riser, I'll give him that much."

"We're going to keep the fact that there are Gaians who know of his existence from him," Rias said.

"Excellent." Grayfia's face softened. "Milicas is cheering you on. So are Sirzechs and I. You deserve your happiness, Rias."

* * *

Soon after Grayfia left, Akeno was pacing the room, scowling. "I don't like this, Azazel coming here under parley."

"Do you think I like it any more than you do, Akeno?" Rias asked.

"You were always the more diplomatic one, Rias, when it came to matters like this. Rias…please tell me something. Not as the Heir to the House of Gremory, or the President of the Occult Research Club, or my King. I need you to tell me something frankly, as my friend. Should I embrace my Fallen heritage, if need be?"

"Akeno…as much as I would love to have your full powers alongside me, I'm not going to force you to do this. We've been over this. Issei may have a point in what he asked you to do, but the decision is yours alone. If it was as Heir to the House of Gremory or your King, I would order you to become stronger any way you could. But I know how much you hate your Fallen heritage. The only thing I will ask you, Akeno, is that you consider using the Holy Lightning for my sake, like Issei suggested."

Akeno nodded slowly. After she stopped pacing, and sat down on one of the lounges, she said quietly, "Issei's interesting, isn't he? He's far more mature than his years. The benefit of having lived another lifetime, I suppose. He says things that, well, can anger you, but you realise that he's right. We've got ourselves a headstrong Bishop, Rias."

"Yes. He's given me trouble. Then again, it's the sort of trouble I can benefit from. Without him, we wouldn't have had as much insight into Kuja and his Peerage. And with Asia on our side, we at least have holy water as a secret weapon. Given how Kuja's going to move up the engagement, she won't be able to help me get Gasper ready on time. Even if he only lived for a couple of years in his original lifetime, he's clearly experienced more than many of us have, and that's saying something. What do you think of him, Akeno?"

"Well, the argument and his trying to get me to use the Holy Lightning aside…I think he's a genuinely nice guy. He's not judgemental, or at least not normally, and he at least apologised when he crossed the line. He's not as handsome as Kiba, but that's not saying much."

Rias smirked a little. "You like him, don't you?"

The question blindsided the Nephilim-turned-Devil, and after a moment, she said, "Yes. I think it's because, not telling us about his past life aside, he has no pretence. And when he talks to me…well, I know he's trying hard not to look at my breasts, but that's the thing. He tries to talk to me normally. He does to you too, Rias. How many boys, aside from Kiba, Gasper, and Issei, try to do that? Human or Devil? Most of them either gawk, or try to ask us on dates in a hamfisted manner."

"True," Rias said with a rueful smile. While considered one of the Big Sisters of Kuoh Academy, the truth was, most of the boys here looked at her body first. Same with Akeno. Rias actually felt a pang of jealousy at Akeno for her attraction to Issei. Issei may not be as handsome as Kiba, and he was sometimes a contrary Bishop, but he was a good guy in the end.

Of course, attraction meant little in the end if she didn't have the freedom to choose who to be with.

* * *

The next day, everyone was on edge. After all, Azazel, head of the Fallen, was coming, albeit under parley. Even Sona Sitri was there. Being head of the Student Council meant that she had to deal with new arrivals anyway, and being the Heir to the House of Sitri, as well as the sister to Serafall Leviathan, helped.

Issei was actually quite surprised at Azazel's appearance when the man made his way into the Occult Research Club, Raynare and Mittelt both in Kuoh uniforms (and in Raynare's case, looking like a teenager). Azazel was a handsome man with his lips set in a near-perpetual smirk, a small dark beard on his chin, and the front of his dark hair blonde. He was dressed in a kimono as well. "Hey," he said to the gathered Devils. "I know you probably don't believe me, and this is a cheesy line, but…I come in peace."

 **CHAPTER 10 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Okay, this is something of filler, but frankly, one thing I think** ** _Highschool DxD_** **could do with more of is some characterisation. I want to elevate it above what is usually is, which is basically filled to the brim with fanservice. I wrote in this bit with Koneko because I felt I was neglecting her a little.**

 **This will be the last chapter for a while. The next chapter will be about Azazel and the Fallen discussing things with Rias, and finally, Kuja's appearance.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Guest** **: I'm not sure what the difference between a** ** _nekomata_** **and a** ** _nekoshou_** **is, so for the moment, that is what Koneko is being referred to as. Thanks for that info. That means I might have Akeno break them out for the fight against Kuja.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


	12. Chapter 11: Azazel

**CHAPTER 11:**

 **AZAZEL**

"Whatever you're going to say, Azazel, please be brief," Rias said. "To have the leader of the Grigori here is far from comfortable for Devils in general, and my Queen in particular doesn't want to tolerate your presence any more than necessary."

Azazel's face fell, becoming pensive. "Yes, I know. I'm sorry, Akeno, it's wholly my fault Baraquiel wasn't there to help your mother. I truly am sorry, and if I could go back in time and prevent that from happening…" He stopped his apology when he saw Akeno's eyes narrowing, so he sighed, and decided to change the subject, realising he was just angering Akeno. "Anyway, I guess there's two others I should be apologising to here: namely Issei Hyoudou and Asia Argento. I really am sorry, you two. I never intended for you guys to get hurt or exploited in any way. I ordered my people merely to keep you under surveillance and make sure you weren't a threat. Raynare and the others seemed to get it into their heads that they had carte blanche to either kill you, or steal your Sacred Gears. Raynare here in particular wanted me to pay attention to her. That's why she considered stealing your Twilight Healing, Asia."

Issei and Asia both accepted the man's apologies. Sona then asked, "Why are you having these two here?"

"For a number of reasons. The first is that I am assigning them to strict surveillance on the Sacred Gear wielders in Kuoh. Basically, what they were supposed to do before, but overtly now as opposed to covertly. Well, overtly as far as the Peerages here are concerned. The second is to liaise with me regarding these reincarnated people from Gaia and Terra. Raynare and Mittelt heard things from Freed, as well as Asia and Issei. I'm certainly fascinated by these Eidolons that Asia can summon. The third is that I came, after discussion with Sirzechs Lucifer, to help Rias strengthen her Peerage."

"And why would you do such a thing?" Rias asked.

"Compensation, in part, for what my people did to your Peerage, as well as Issei. I offered this to your brother, and he accepted. I'm aware that you want nothing to do with the arranged marriage to Kuja Naberius, any more so than you did to Riser Phoenix. And if you're happy, so is your brother, and if he's happy, he's more amenable to negotiate with the Grigori. I certainly don't want war to break out again, Rias Gremory, unlike some of the idiots under me. If helping a Devil helps keep the peace, then I'll do so gladly. War should be a last resort, after all. I'm sure you can agree, even if you haven't actually known what war is like yourself. Plus, consider this part of my atonement for messing up badly when it came to your Queen. I'm not expecting us to be instant friends. Hell, I don't know if we ever will be on good terms at all. But this is about mutual gain, amongst other things. I help you, and I learn more about the Sacred Gears and the reincarnations. If Raynare and Mittelt decide to cause trouble, then I give you leave to kill them without repercussions. I sincerely hope that they won't be so stupid."

Rias, after a moment, said, "I accept these conditions, albeit on sufferance. My brother told me that you may have information on how to strengthen my Peerage. Would you please tell me what that is?"

"Straight to the point, huh? I can understand that. Well, first and foremost, you have a Bishop you can't even use, Gasper Vladi, dhampir and wielder of the Sacred Gear known as the Forbidden Balor View. Part of the problem is, due to his psychological issues, he has a lot of trouble controlling his Sacred Gear, but I think there may be a solution to get him up to par. Drinking the blood of someone with a dragon aura may help give him the strength to control his Sacred Gear better." Azazel's eyes went over to Issei. "And as you have the wielder of Boosted Gear, which contains the spirit of Ddraig…"

"Even if that would work, Gasper hates drinking blood," Rias said.

"Sell it to him gently. Just say it will help him prevent him from hurting people with his Sacred Gear," Azazel said. "Get him to think of it as taking medication or something." He looked over at Sona. "I heard from your sister that you've also got the wielder of the Sacred Gear Absorption Line in your Peerage recently. You could use him to siphon off some of Gasper's power as well. That might help."

"I'll consider that," Sona said.

Azazel smirked. "You're so unlike your sister, you know that? So serious, while she's so playful."

"Azazel, I did ask that you be as brief as possible," Rias interjected quietly but firmly. "Do you have any other suggestions?"

"A few. For example, Akeno is your Queen, but her specialty is in magic rather than physical combat, which is something of a waste of the Queen piece. A Queen is versatile, combining physical strength and defence with alacrity and magical ability. This is no insult to your ability, Akeno, I'm just saying you could be better, even without tapping into your father's abilities."

In a tightly-controlled voice, Akeno said, "I am considering using what abilities that man gave me."

"That's good. I understand that you hate him, and me, but in combat, you do what you can to win, and you have abilities at your disposal that will help Rias. That's all I will say on the matter unless you want me to say anything further."

After a moment, Akeno said, "I want any documents you have on Light-Spear creation and Holy Lightning."

Azazel considered this, before nodding. "Sure. I'll send them in with these two tomorrow. I'm going to be staying in town for a while. Now, there's Koneko Toujou."

" _No_ ," Koneko said, that single syllable filled with emotion.

"Hear me out. After Sirzechs told me about what happened with you and your sister, I did a bit of digging. A friend of mine heard something interesting about Kuroka. I don't know whether it's true or not, but it certainly puts a whole new complexion on what happened. Apparently it wasn't her _senjutsu_ going nuts. Supposedly, your former master was performing some pretty nasty experiments into _nekoshou_ and _senjutsu_ , and Kuroka killed him to prevent you from falling victim to them. I haven't got a shred of evidence, though, and Sirzechs isn't able to investigate, as the family of your former master are basically closing ranks, and are heavily hinting they'll call for your execution if he tries more. Politics is a bitch. Koneko, I have some small information on _nekoshou_ and _senjutsu_. I'll bring it in tomorrow."

Issei, who was next to Koneko, felt her leaning in towards him for comfort. "You're upsetting her."

"I'm just trying to help Rias out," Azazel said, holding up his hands in a placatory gesture.

"He's telling hard truths," Rias said, "just like you did before, Issei. Not that I like the way he's doing it. My brother is the strongest Devil, though. How come Koneko's former master's family are able to get away with this?"

"Like I said, politics is a bitch, one who's almost always in heat," Azazel said. "And you know how many Devils treat _youkai_. You and your brother treat Koneko like a person, but you are sadly in the minority. Most Devils, and Fallen for that matter, are indifferent at best, and at worst, view _youkai_ as inferior. It's horrid, but that's life, unfortunately. Anyway, I don't really have any suggestions for Yuuto Kiba, save that he just improves his skills in general. That being said, Rias, I think that as King, you'll need to branch out your abilities. The Power of Destruction you inherited from the Bael blood of your mother is impressive, but you'll need more than that. The standard Power of Destruction attack works best as a _coup de grace_ , as you probably know, or else against slow enemies. Experiment with it, see if you can make it work in other ways, maybe even ask your brother how he uses it. And learning different magic and techniques will only serve you well as you progress in the Underworld. And finally, Issei Hyoudou. Have you achieved Balance Breaker yet?"

"Not yet," Issei said. "Steiner…I mean, Ddraig and I are trying to work on our strength in general first. But if I have to use it during this Rating Game, I will."

"Good. By the way, I know the current wielder of Divine Dividing, the Sacred Gear Ddraig's eternal rival Albion's bound to. Since he heard about your little fracas with my people, he wants to know more about you and your ability with the Boosted Gear. Don't be surprised if he approaches you. He won't be looking for a fight straight away, though, he'll want you to be a challenge first. At least you know about your Balance Breaker. From what Raynare and Mittelt told me, you're good at using both the physical attacks with the Boosted Gear, as well as magic attacks, which is good."

After some more discussion, most of it regarding Kuja, Azazel stood to leave. "I'll leave these two in your care," he said, indicating Raynare and Mittelt. "While I don't want you to provoke them or antagonise them, I won't tolerate them being insubordinate any more. If they step out of line, well, as I said, you can deal with them as you see fit. I didn't want to have to resort to this, but, well, I have to set an example. Anyway, I've got things to do. Thanks for having me here. Bye."

* * *

Despite the fact that they were enemies with Rias' Peerage not so long ago, Raynare and Mittelt kept their heads down, so to speak. They knew they were on thin ice, and the only thing that the two Peerages and the Fallen agreed with were to punish the Perverted Duo. Mittelt took particular pleasure in beating Matsuda, who had a thing for petite girls, much to her annoyance, and Koneko's.

Issei and Asia went in to Gasper's room, Rias in tow. Rias had taken Azazel's advice to sell it to Gasper as taking medicine, sucking Issei's blood. Unfortunately, Gasper was still reluctant, and didn't seem ready to drink blood, yet. Even so, while getting him ready for this Rating Game against Kuja was a lost cause, he seemed to indicate he would do so in the future, which meant that making him part of a later Rating Game wasn't out of the question.

True to his word, Azazel sent Akeno a number of documents about Holy Lightning and Light-Spears. Akeno actually began experimenting with the latter almost as soon as she got these notes, and found something interesting: she could actually combine Gaian magic with the Light-Spears. Issei remembered that Sword Magic experiment he, as Vivi, did with the original Steiner. This was similar, except that if Akeno used Holy magic on a Light-Spear, it made the power and speed of the Light-Spear grow exponentially. She could even split such an enchanced Light-Spear into scores of them, effectively making a storm of them that would annihilate almost anything.

What's more, Akeno seemed to take Issei and Azazel's admonishments to heart, and began training with the Holy Lightning. Rias, meanwhile, began experimenting with the Power of Destruction. Given Issei's anecdotes of the Ultima spell Kuja used, she actually took inspiration from that, splitting the power of her standard Power of Destruction orb into multiple blasts, weaker than the standard orb, but capable of homing in on enemies in much the same way as Ultima did. It was as yet untested. She hoped to do so in whatever training period prior to the Rating Game itself.

Koneko, however, had been more reluctant to even consider using her powers as a _nekoshou_. What happened with Kuroka had left scars running deep. No less deep than those Akeno had when her father had left her in her time of greatest need, but Koneko was struggling more to overcome this. Issei understood. He encouraged her, he didn't berate her.

And then, the time came. Asia left the room, just in case Kuja and/or his Peerage objected to having a nun around. In any case, having two Gaians in the room who could give the game away might be too much, anyway. Asia was watching using a camera, just in case she could discern anything useful from Kuja and his Peerage. Grayfia was there, just in case things got hairy. After all, despite her apparently mundane, if beautiful, appearance, she was one of the strongest Devils around.

When the time came, an occult symbol appeared on the ground, one outlined in a pale blue light that reminded Issei of Kuja's lavender hair. There was a triskelion in the middle that put Issei in mind a little of the symbol of Terra that had been dotted throughout its structures. It was the sigil of the Naberius family.

And there, emerging from the magic sigil, was a very familiar form. Issei didn't know how he managed to keep that form when he was reincarnated, but the fact was, he looked very much like he did before. Pale, slender, his face effeminate, framed by tresses of lavender hair, part of the hair looking like feathers. He was even dressed in a similar outfit, what basically amounted to a thong worn under revealing robes. There was no mistaking it: this was Kuja.

"Well now, Rias," Kuja said in that oh-so familiar lilting voice. "You don't seem happy to see me. I can't imagine why. Your knight in shining armour is here to free you from your cage, Red-Breasted Robin…"

 **CHAPTER 11 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **So, Kuja's on the scene finally. And the Peerage have been set on their paths to improve themselves. Akeno is working on it now because Issei already put her onto the path of it earlier. Koneko is another matter.**

 **A few of you may be concerned that Kuja has changed back to a villain. I have to confess, his change of heart at the very end of the game was somewhat sudden. Here, because he's a long-lived Devil, he's not as concerned about immortality, so it's given some structure back to his personality. He's frankly a selfish and amoral, if not evil, bastard, but he's no longer concerned with conquering the world. He just wants to enjoy his new life as much as he can, so he's more of a hedonist than a conqueror. In this story, he's basically Riser, but with less overt arrogance and a more cultured air. He wouldn't say no to becoming one of the Four Great Satans, but his newly-granted longevity has given him more patience. He intends to become more powerful first before trying to usurp them. He's more of an antagonist now than an out and out villain, if that makes sense.**

 **Review-answering time!** **Zane Tribal Tyne Alexandros** **: Glad you enjoyed it, and it's good to have you back, at long last. Don't forget to look at my other new fics when you have the time. And you have to keep in mind that Zidane was one of Vivi's role models in his short life. I can see Vivi growing up to be a less lecherous and more introverted Zidane.**

 **No numbered annotations for this chapter.**


	13. Chapter 12: Kuja Naberius

**CHAPTER 12:**

 **KUJA NABERIUS**

In the silence that followed, eventually, Kuja said, "Ah, but I have been most remiss. My apologies. I was struck by your beauty, Rias, I couldn't help but be forward."

"Apology accepted," Rias said in a tight little voice, obviously drawing upon her reserves of diplomacy.

"Thank you," Kuja said smiling. Issei realised that Kuja was in his late teens at the latest, at least in terms of appearance. Then again, there were times when he acted like a teenager back in Issei's life as Vivi. "Would you be so kind as to introduce your Peerage? I know of course of Akeno Himejima, the Priestess of Lightning. _Enchanté_."

Rias, reluctantly, introduced the rest of her Peerage. Kuja took especial interest in them all. Issei found himself trying to school his expression as Kuja scrutinised him. "I thought it unlikely that a human would become a Bishop," Kuja said. "I'm sorry, am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Yes." Issei didn't need to lie.

"Hmm. Perhaps it is understandable. After all, you are in the presence of no less than three High Class Devils, Mr Hyoudou. Or can I call you Issei?"

"Fine."

"You know, you remind me a little of someone I used to know. A long time ago. My brother. You probably wouldn't have known him, being a human. Then again, if Rias was confident enough to resurrect you as a Bishop, then I probably shouldn't underestimate you. I mean, look at Lady Grayfia. Dresses and acts as a common or garden maid, but she is known as the Ultimate Queen. Anger her at your peril, Issei. I certainly know better." Kuja then sat down and lounged on a couch with a lazy smile. "Now, to business. I recently challenged that most dreadful boor Riser Phoenix for your hand in marriage. It took a bit of…persuasion for Riser to agree to such a thing. Mostly some taunts about his manhood. When I spoke to your illustrious brother, he told me that, unless you agreed to this engagement outright, I would have to fight a further Rating Game, albeit an unofficial one, in order to win your hand. Can I not get you to reconsider?"

"No."

"Please, be reasonable, Rias," Kuja said, smiling. "Our people do need to rebuild our population after the wars. Even with the Evil Pieces, there still needs to be more purebred Devils. It is your duty, Rias."

"I agree, Kuja, but my answer is the same as I would have given to Riser. I would prefer to have children with the man I love, not bartered around like livestock. I would prefer to choose my husband."

"Brave and bold words, Rias, and I admire your will. But once I set my eye on something, I must have it. I enjoy collecting beautiful and powerful people like yourself. I can't abide ugliness. Who knows? You may come to love me. We Devils live for long enough that that is possible."

Issei wanted to retch. Kuja hadn't changed that much. He still hid his agenda in honeyed words and theatre. The thought of Rias being wed to him…

"Still, the forms must be obeyed, and I suppose this unofficial Rating Game will give you the chance to save face, Rias. I'll even give you ten days to train. You might be able to make it interesting. I mean, Riser's Peerage was powerful, but I feel that he chose them far more for their…aesthetic reasons. Which is a factor in my Peerage, but power matters more. Would you like to meet them?"

Without waiting for a reply, Kuja gestured, causing a series of sigils to appear, disgorging a quintet of women. Well, save for one teenager. "My dear ladies, please introduce yourselves."

"I am Kraken of the Deluge, Lord Kuja's Rook," said the first woman. She had a haughty, aristocratic air, dressed in regal robes. Her skin was blue, however, and her hair was actually tentacles.

A red-haired woman with ophidian features, and dressed in little more than a chainmail skirt and sports bra, and with four limbs wielding swords, hissed, "I am Marilith of the Inferno, and I am his Knight. You want any cutting remarks?"

The next woman to speak rolled her eyes. She had extraordinarily pale skin, black hair and eyes, and dark circles around her eyes, and black lipstick, making her otherwise elegant good looks have a vaguely skull-like air. Her mage robes were brown, red, and gold. "I am Lich of the Calamity, Lord Kuja's first Bishop."

The next one to speak was a teenaged girl with blonde hair, drill-like curls on either side, and dressed in rather aristocratic clothing. "I'm Ravel Phoenix, Kuja's second Bishop."

The last woman had reptilian green eyes, wearing some sort of crocodile (or dragon?) skin coat, and had draconic wings from her back, her arms crossed underneath an impressive bust. "Tiamat of the Tempest. I am Lord Kuja's Queen. Are you scared yet, boys and girls?"

After a moment, Koneko said, completely deadpan, "I'm terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought(1)."

Issei had to admit that the Chaos Demons looked very attractive now. Not that he thought in that way when he was fighting them. He wondered if they had been reborn this way, or if Kuja had reshaped them in what he thought they should look like.

He frowned when Tiamat's eyes narrowed on meeting Issei's. After a moment, she bent down to Kuja, and whispered into his ear. His eyes widened, and then he looked at Issei. Issei realised that, given Kuja's expression, he had been recognised. Typical. It had to be Tiamat who did that. It was, after all, Tiamat who he faced, alongside the original Steiner, while they were raiding the Wind Shrine.

Kuja, after a moment, brought his gaze over to Issei's. "Well now, someone in this room has been most remiss, knowing me, and not even introducing themselves. I may have left something of a bad impression, but is that really an excuse to be discourteous… _Vivi?_ "

Issei felt profound shock run through his body, as if someone dumped a large bucket filled with icy water down his back. Kuja knew. So did Tiamat.

"Do not attempt to deny it," Tiamat hissed belligerently. "I remember the stench of your soul from when we fought at the Wind Shrine, and again in Memoria."

Kuja waved a hand at Tiamat. "Tiamat, no need to be rude by saying something like stench. She also told me that you have a Sacred Gear. Well, that's somewhat interesting. And you seem to take after Zidane a bit more than what you used to be like. He must have made quite the impression." He chuckled. "Oh, but this must be fate. I wondered, ever since I reclaimed my loyal warriors of the Chaos Demons, and discovered an old friend in Ravel Phoenix, whether I would meet any others from Gaia or Terra."

"Who's Ravel?" Issei asked.

Ravel smiled. "Well, it's been a long time since we last met, Vivi. I looked very different when you saw me die at the Iifa Tree, my adopted daughter crying over me."

Issei's eyes widened when he realised who she must be. "Brahne!"

"Indeed. I actually like being reincarnated as a Devil. I have to say, being part of my brother's Peerage was fun, but as much as I love him, his obsession with a harem aside, I think I'd go further with Kuja."

"He betrayed you at the Iifa Tree."

"Technically, I betrayed him first. Besides, I am, my status in his Peerage aside, his equal, and, well…I thought it best to leave the luggage of my past life behind. In any case…well, look." She gave a smirk, indicating her body. "As a High-Class Devil, I will be beautiful for eternity. So too will Kuja."

"We need to get back to the point," Rias said. "Leaving aside your history with my Bishop, I accept your offer of a ten day training period prior to the Rating Game. And I don't intend to lose."

"That's fine by me, Rias. Neither do I. Sadly, there can only be one winner in such a contest. I bid you all farewell, and look forward to meeting you on the battlefield." Kuja stood, took a bow, and then, he and his Peerage disappeared into their sigils.

"I'll begin the preparations for the Rating Game," Grayfia said. "That went better than I expected. That is one thing in his favour compared to Riser Phoenix. Even when being arrogant, he at least is being polite, superficially anyway. You don't have much time to prepare, though, Rias. You should take this time and train your Peerage as hard as you can."

Asia came back into the room, looking pensive. "That was Kuja? The man who wiped out my people?"

"Yeah, and he's recognised me," Issei said. "Thank whatever deity's listening he didn't recognise Kiba as Alexander."

"How much has he changed, Issei?" Asia asked.

"Not much, not from what he was like normally, though I don't think he's as megalomaniacal or unstable as he used to be. But he's still an eloquent narcissist. I think he's more about hedonism than anything else now."

"Even so, we can't discount his power," Rias said. "I'm going to be driving you guys pretty hard, along with myself. I'm going to arrange things with Sona so we have time off school to train. Issei, I'll give your parents a cover story. Keep in mind that Kuja was able to beat Riser, and Riser had a full Peerage. That means we may be at even more of a disadvantage. Asia, we'll bring you to the training as well. Akeno…do you think Raynare and Mittelt may be able to help you in using your powers?"

After a brief pause, albeit one thick with emotion, Akeno said, "Yes, but I'm not sure we can trust them."

"I need all the help I can get, and with Gasper probably going to be unable to be ready on time, I need to work with what I have," Rias said. "Remember, if they step out of line, Azazel has given me leave to either kill them, or make them part of my Peerage. Then again, making them part of my Peerage will be more trouble than it's worth: I can see them becoming Strays before a week is out. But if they have any advice on battle tactics, I'll take it."

"That may be risky, Rias," Grayfia said. "That being said, it may be what you need to win, so all I ask is that you be careful where it comes to those two. I'll take my leave now. Goodbye, and good luck, Rias."

"Thank you, and goodbye, Grayfia. Say hello to my brother and Milicas for me, please?"

Grayfia gave a small smile, and nodded. She too vanished through a magic sigil.

* * *

"So, you're stuck in a Rating Game," Raynare said, after having been summoned to the Occult Research Club later. "And you want us to help Akeno with her powers."

"I need to strengthen my Peerage in a short period," Rias said. "I can only do so much alone. I'm asking for your help."

Raynare scoffed quietly. After a moment, the Fallen said, "Yeah, why not? School's pretty boring, anyway. I'm so many centuries ahead of these brats, it isn't funny. Even Mittelt is ahead of them, and she still looks like a brat."

"Don't call me a brat!" Mittelt snapped at her colleague.

"Spare me," Raynare said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, look at it this way. If we help you take Kuja Naberius down, then it means we've managed to do some damage to some Devils without risking another war. You hurt Kuja and his Peerage, and thwart your father's plans. Good enough for me, at least. Plus, ought to be fun seeing a Rating Game. Azazel even said he might come and watch. He wants to see Issei and Kiba's Sacred Gears in action."

"Very well," Rias said. "Just remember your situation."

Raynare rolled her eyes again. "How can we forget with you and Azazel reminding us? We'll be good little girls. But keep in mind, we're hard taskmasters. You'd better be prepared to sweat and bleed to get better, Akeno."

Akeno merely got a rather disturbing smile on her face. "Oh, that's fine. I don't mind pain at all…"

* * *

The next day, they were heading along a mountain path to one of the Gremory summer homes not far from the town. They were walking up the mountain path with weighted backpacks, partly as exercise to begin the training. Issei didn't complain much: he'd walked longer distances with only slightly lighter burdens as Vivi, and not all of those burdens were physical.

As it happened, the summer home was practically a mansion, surrounded by woodland. Not that they would have much time to relax, anyway. They were here on deadly earnest business, even the three of them here who weren't part of Rias' Peerage. Some did this out of loyalty to Rias. Others (well, the Fallen) did it because they'd get some small satisfaction out of disruption to other Devils' plans. And some were here because it was the right thing to do.

This was no holiday. And Issei was determined to give it his all, along with everyone else…

 **CHAPTER 12 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Well, here you have it. Kuja knows who Issei was, and the battlelines have been drawn. The next chapter will be some more Issei/Akeno, along with Issei and Kiba discussing Kiba's past.**

 **1\. This is, of course, a modification of Dr Spengler's line from** ** _Ghostbusters_** **. I can see Koneko snarking with this line, can't you?**


	14. Chapter 13: Training and Admissions

**CHAPTER 13:**

 **TRAINING AND ADMISSIONS**

In their room (the two boys of the group got their own room), Issei and Kiba changed into their training gear. "You handled Kuja quite well, Issei," Kiba said. "If I'd been confronted with a painful memory like Kuja must've been, I might not have reacted as well."

"What do you mean? As Alexander?" Issei asked.

Kiba shook his head. As he continued changing, he seemed to be debating with himself whether to confide in Issei about something. Eventually, he said, "No, in this life. I won't bore you with all of the details, but I have issues of my own against the Church and the Fallen. I was conscripted at a very young age into a project known as the Holy Swords Project. Holy Swords are swords like Excalibur that can slay Devils, and they wanted to be able to create someone who can use these, for wielders are rare. Something of me as Alexander allowed me to be a particularly adept wielder of Holy Swords. As far as I know, I was the only survivor. But…it was absolutely horrible. I find it a bitter irony that the Church created Hell on Earth in their pursuit of such things. My only consolation is that it was only a small subsection of the Church. For a time, I felt like I needed to destroy any Holy Sword I came across. But soon after I regained my memories as Alexander…I realised something. Blaming the swords was ridiculous. No, it was those behind that project I blame, Issei. Particularly one man: Valper Galilei. One day, I will kill him, for myself, and for those who perished because of his ambition."

Issei found himself paling in horror. "…I'm sorry, Kiba. I didn't know."

"That's fine. I usually don't like talking about it. The others know something of it. Besides, Rias said to you she didn't want any more secrets between you. I guess this is me doing the same."

"Thanks, Kiba. Do you reckon we can beat Kuja?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure. We have a chance, but if he was able to beat Riser, well…then again, we shouldn't go into this thinking we're going to lose. No, we prepare for victory. I'll probably have to train you somewhat on your physical ability. You may be a Bishop, but your Boosted Gear gave you a huge advantage in a physical fight against Freed, and it can't hurt to train up your physical ability. I'll probably have to help Akeno with her physical abilities, as well. Azazel was right, she may be a Queen, but she's more of a Bishop in terms of ability. I hope she's not going to be too hurt being made to use her abilities as a Fallen."

"She'll be alright," Issei said. "I mean, I don't care that she's half-Fallen."

Kiba chuckled. "Same here. But she's got a lot of self-loathing, Issei. Actually, I think you telling her you didn't care about her being a Nephilim when you first met gave her a little boost. The number of people who've said that to her out of the blue, I could count on a single hand. I also see what you did with Koneko. Akeno, Koneko, and myself, we haven't exactly had the best of lives before joining Rias' Peerage. You're more than a servant to Rias, Issei, even the Gremory affection for their servants aside. You're a shoulder to lean on. Especially for Akeno and Koneko. Akeno doesn't usually like men. You and I are amongst the few exceptions. Akeno's not exactly my type, though."

"What _is_ your type, Kiba?" Issei asked.

"Well, I don't like to say," Kiba said with a coy smile. "I see the way you look at Akeno and Rias, though. And you'll have a tough time with both. Don't get me wrong, they're both good people. But Rias has her station to consider, and Akeno…your compliments aside, she has a lot of self-loathing to shake off. But they also like you, your little blow-up at Rias notwithstanding. We all do. I think it's because you try to reach out to others, help them, without any notion of reward. I mean, you killed Stray Devils even before Raynare tried to contact you. You gave Raynare a chance."

Issei nodded. "Well, remember Zidane? He often told me that you didn't need a reason to help people. I try to hold to that. Anyway, what someone is doesn't define who they are, not wholly. I mean, Rias is a born Devil, and yet, my few issues with her aside, she's also a genuinely nice person. Azazel was pretty nice and laid-back for the leader of the Fallen. Freed once worked for the Church, and yet, he was a raving psychopath. Zidane, well, he was made to be the destroyer of Gaia, and I was created to be a prototype weapon. Look how we ended up."

"True. And that's as vital a quality to this Peerage as any Sacred Gear, Issei," Kiba said. "Your altruism and perception. Anyway, we'd better get going. Rias won't want to be kept waiting…"

* * *

The training was indeed hard. Issei mostly trained with Kiba, Koneko, and Asia, the latter helping hone his magic and heal any injuries incurred during training. Normally, Akeno would have done this, but she was training with the Fallen, and Rias was keeping an eye on them, as well as experimenting with her own abilities.

Koneko had, for the first time in Issei's experience, revealed her _nekomata_ form. Asia had promptly hugged her, calling her cute, a sentiment Issei agreed with. With a pair of cute little cat ears protruding from her head, and a tail protruding from her derriere, she looked cuter than ever. She seemed embarrassed by the attention, but reassured by their compliments. She even occasionally let slip a meow as a verbal tic, and seemed comfortable in using her _nekomata_ form around them. That being said, she concentrated less on using her _nekoshou_ abilities, and more on her fighting ability. Issei certainly learned more about hand-to-hand combat and improvising weaponry from her than he ever knew.

One little experiment that Asia decided she wanted to try was whether one could manipulate holy water with a Water spell. As it turned out, yes. It was something they intended to use to great effect during their fight. They just needed to get sufficient holy water into the pocket dimension used for the Rating Game.

The afternoon of that first day, Rias, and the Fallen came back. It seemed that Akeno, being not only a Nephilim, but one of Baraquiel's progeny (he was, after all, one of the most powerful Fallen out there), could effectively spam Light-Spears in a way that had Raynare and Mittelt admitting they were jealous. She had even developed her first move based on the amount of Light-Spears she could generate: the Light-Spear Blizzard, guaranteed to turn any low-power Devil into mince. Once she could control their trajectories in mid-flight, she could probably make them even more lethal.

Rias had managed to do something similar with her Power of Destruction, managing to split it up into multiple bolts of energy not dissimilar to an Ultima spell that she could have home in on enemies from all sides. She could even shape it into different planes, making, for example, a sort of line of energy that could be sent out to slice anything in its path. How effective it would be in combat, she didn't know yet. More experimentation was needed.

After some sparring, now with Akeno involved, they decided to finish the training for the day as the sun set. Issei and Asia helped prepare the food, with Issei remembering the lessons he got from the androgynous Qu, Quina Quen. Food-obsessed that the Qu was, Quina had taught Vivi many things about food. So too had Vivi's adopted grandfather, Quan, though Issei also remembered finding out that, for a time, Quan had considered eating him. A disconcerting thought.

As he peeled the potatoes (on Rias' suggestion, he used magic, and not the Gaian type, so that he could practise using Earth magic), he had a minor epiphany. Earlier in the day, he'd made a snarky remark about how skimpy Raynare's clothing was, and how she managed to fight like that. She had retorted that it took real skill to fight naked, and those who could showed psychological fortitude, and could also distract an enemy.

It got Issei thinking. While he doubted it would work in the upcoming Rating Game (he was sure the Chaos Demons wouldn't really care about nudity), the truth was, a naked enemy was a potentially-demoralised one. Of course, it also meant that people could be distracted by a naked enemy, himself included. True, he was not a pervert per se, not like Matsuda and Motohama, but he was still a hot-blooded heterosexual male who enjoyed the sight of a naked woman, and he could get distracted.

Even so, a dress-shredding attack as psychological warfare did bear thinking about. He practised on the potatoes, making their skins explode off while leaving the flesh beneath intact. He'd have to experiment with the technique at a later date. And with a willing test subject. He reckoned that only Akeno would be comfortable with that. Sure, Rias didn't mind being naked, but he got the feeling that his technique might not go down well with her.

After dinner, they went to an outdoor bath, like a hot springs. And, like a hot springs, there was a section for males, and one for females. Issei had a hard time trying not to imagine what the girls were like, naked. Then again, he'd already seen Rias naked (and Raynare, if only briefly as she transformed from Yuuma into her Fallen self), and he wouldn't sink so low as to want to see the young-looking Koneko or Mittelt naked. At least Asia looked closer to his age…physically, anyway. If anything, Asia was now the most mature of them, the way she acted. She did act somewhat clumsily at times, though.

A treacherous image of Akeno naked entered his mind (surprisingly accurate, despite the fact that it was derived wholly from his imagination), and he swiftly acted to stifle the subsequent arousal by thinking about that client who was a wannabe magical girl…who was a hulking, muscled man with a fugly face, stuffed into a magical girl costume, and emitting a bizarre verbal tic. Oh yeah, Mil-tan was most definitely better than a cold shower.

* * *

Later that night, when everyone else had gone to bed, Issei found he couldn't sleep, at least not at first. So he went wandering out of the mansion. So engrossed was he in looking at the stars, he didn't notice Rias was there until she spoke to him. "Can't sleep?"

He jumped, whirling to find her sitting nearby, wearing glasses of all things, while looking at a piece of paper. "Umm, Rias, since when did you wear glasses?"

"I don't, normally. Devils don't need them. I just wanted them as a sort of aid to concentrate," Rias said. Besides her glasses, she was wearing a nightdress so sheer, he could see through it in the moonlight. All she was wearing underneath it were rather sexy-looking panties.

"So, Sona…she wears them for…what reason?" Issei asked, trying to distract himself from her body.

"To look the part of a serious Student Council President, of course," Rias said. "The glasses give her gravitas. Well, same with her attitude. But she's frankly been one of my best friends. We're rivals, but in a good way. And she looks past my family name. I have few friends who can look past it. I am proud to be a Gremory, Issei, but I can do without the baggage of that name. Having my brother as a Lucifer doesn't help: it only increases the expectations made of me. That's why your words hurt when we had that argument. You were right, albeit for the wrong reasons."

"We're fine now, though, aren't we?" Issei asked.

"Yes. I understand why you were angry. Of course, many other Devils may have just killed you for your insolence." Rias stood, and walked with Issei over to a gazebo. "But to tell the truth, I'm actually glad you said such a thing. It reminded me why I came to Kuoh Academy in the first place. I wanted to come somewhere free of expectations, or at least most of them. As far as the humans at Kuoh are concerned, I'm just a European from old money. I have a following, but it's not because I'm a noble of the House of Gremory. I'd like to think it's for more than my looks. The same goes for Akeno, Koneko, Kiba. With their pasts…they needed somewhere where they can be judged on their own merits."

"Yeah, and they're loved. So are you, Rias. Then again, well, you're all very attractive. Or cute, in Koneko's case. And you, Akeno and Kiba are so very warm and nice to people. Koneko…well, the aloof attitude does have its own attraction. Plus, she's so cuddly. And when you know about her past, you just want to cuddle her more. She probably doesn't get enough hugs. Neither does Gasper, but, well…I doubt he'd want a hug. He'd freak out most of the time."

"True." Then, for a moment, Rias looked pensive, before eventually asking, "Issei…I have to ask…do you find me attractive?"

"…That's a pretty silly question, Rias. I mean, you're not just physically attractive. You're pretty compassionate too, what you did with me and Asia aside. And that was partly due to your position. I understand why you did that. I'd prefer to ask the same question of you."

Rias chuckled. "True. You're not as handsome as Kiba…but you're nice, you're altruistic, and, well, you don't really care about status."

"My best friends were a thief, a princess, her knight bodyguard, a wandering spear-woman, a weird gourmet, a precocious girl who acted twice my age when she was actually younger than me, and…well, I don't think Amarant counts as a friend. You don't really care about status then. Then again, Steiner, the original, he treated me with more respect than he did with Zidane. Oh, and I nearly forgot Prince Puck. Though he called me a slave when we first met…well, the second time we met, at Cleyra, we were on better terms. Status…it's just a thing. Being part of a noble house is just an accident of birth. Or even just coincidence. That princess I mentioned…well, she was adopted by a royal family."

"I know. You and Asia talked about it." Rias looked into the starry sky. "And thank you, Issei. I truly am grateful for your help." A rather lascivious smirk, albeit a gentle one, came over her features. "Maybe one day, I can repay it."

Issei chuckled somewhat nervously, before getting ready to head back. "I hope you can find someone who loves you for yourself, Rias."

"Like you, Issei?"

The question was not wholly unexpected, but it was a surprise nonetheless. Issei eventually said, "Rias, I think of you as a friend. Maybe we might fall in love one day. But there's not really such a thing as love at first sight. There's lust at first sight, and that can turn into love, but…at the moment, we're friends and comrades."

The crimson-haired Devil looked a little disappointed, but gave him a smile anyway. "And that's all I can ask for, isn't it? Thank you, Issei. You'd better get to sleep, we've got some full days ahead of us."

That they did. Issei had to wonder, though, would he fall in love with Rias? He was caught between Rias and Akeno, really. He'd heard of the paradox of Buridan's Ass, of a hungry ass caught between two identical piles of hay, and starving to death because it couldn't choose which to eat. He found himself realising he knew what the ass felt like. No, not _that_ kind of ass.

Still, he couldn't let that get in the way. Romance would probably have to wait until he helped Rias break off this arranged marriage. And defeated Kuja, for that matter…

 **CHAPTER 13 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Yes, I know I promised some more Issei/Akeno, but I didn't get around to it, partly because I decided to write that scene with Issei and Rias speaking, and partly because Akeno's off with the Fallen, training. I'll see if I can do that for the next chapter.**

 **Incidentally, I'm still wavering on what the pairing would be. Should it be Issei/Rias, or Issei/Akeno? I'm uncomfortable writing harems, though. But I guess I could do Issei/Rias/Akeno, with Rias as the 'wife', and Akeno as the 'mistress' (I can get behind that in the sort of Madame du Pompadour way). Not putting any other characters into the harem, though. When I come to write the Excalibur events, Irina and Xenovia won't be paired with Issei. Asia is both a sort of sister and mother figure (thanks to her past as Jane) to Issei and the Peerage, and Koneko is very much the little sister of the Peerage.**

 **Oh, and Buridan's Ass (or Buridan's Donkey) is a real philosophical paradox. Look it up.**

 **No numbered annotations.**


	15. Chapter 14: Akeno's Epiphany

**CHAPTER 14:**

 **AKENO'S EPIPHANY**

Self-loathing is one of the most insidious of emotions, and certainly one of the most damaging. Looking at Akeno Himejima, lauded as one of the Big Sisters of Kuoh, one would wonder what could possibly cause her to feel such an emotion. After all, she was buxom, beautiful, and had a genuinely kind and gentle demeanour, even if she had sadomasochistic tendencies beneath the surface, tendencies she had inherited from her parents (her mother Shuri had been the dominant, and her father Baraquiel the submissive, in their BDSM practises).

The truth was, Akeno hated the Fallen, and had done so since her family murdered her mother while her father was absent. Her family had even tried to murder her, simply because they viewed her as a mistake of miscegenation, a half-breed who should never have been allowed to been conceived in the first place, let alone born. It was because of the Fallen blood in her veins that she had been targeted by her own human family, and would have died if it weren't for the intervention of Rias and Sirzechs.

Many Fallen and Nephilim look inhumanly beautiful, all the better to seduce humans to do their bidding. For many teenage girls at Kuoh, Akeno's seemingly effortless beauty seemed like an impossible dream, serving only to increase their own self-loathing at their own bodies. Akeno thought, however, that her beauty was nothing to be proud of. It was mostly due to her Fallen heritage that her beauty was so effortless: her features were from her mother for the most part, though she had her father to thank for being able to stay so beautiful.

And yet, here she was, having to re-embrace her heritage to keep her King and best friend, Rias Gremory, free. The irony was not lost on her. And the fact that it took both Rias and Issei to persuade her to consider this was not lost on her. If they hadn't both asked her to do so…

"Penny for your thoughts?" Raynare asked. During the course of their training yesterday, Raynare had shown a surprisingly maternal, or at least nurturing side, and it wasn't all artifice. She was, after all, on a tight leash thanks to Azazel. Akeno was still wary of her, understandably, and she couldn't completely forgive her yet for what she tried to do with Issei and Asia, but she found herself liking the Fallen a little more. The two of them were on kitchen duty this morning, Mittelt being an infamously bad cook.

"I'm fine," Akeno said. "And here, it's a yen."

Raynare shrugged. "You know what I mean. And I know the look on your face, Akeno. I've seen it often enough in the mirror."

Akeno scoffed. "You're a pure Fallen, not a Nephilim. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Bullshit," Raynare said. "I fell from Heaven, Akeno. I did it out of love for Azazel…but I lost the love of God in the process. You've never felt the grace, the love of God, Akeno. You've never been in His presence. But I have. And its absence…have you ever heard of the term 'phantom pain'?"

"Of course. You cut off a limb, and the severed nerve endings make it seem like it's still there," Akeno said.

Raynare nodded. "I have a phantom pain where God's love used to be. I tried to fill it with Azazel, but…he's a lech, not really the type to love anything, save for his research into Sacred Gears. He's a good man, a great man…but he doesn't really notice something unless it's interesting. He's more of a scientist and researcher than a great political leader. That's one of the reasons the Grigori are filled with splinter factions. I even heard a rumour that Kokabiel wants to cause trouble. Azazel's told Sirzechs Lucifer to keep an eye out, just in case. But…my point is, Akeno…I think you need someone in your life. Just someone to be there for you, someone who can overlook your Nephilim heritage."

"I already have Rias and her Peerage, not to mention Sona and her Peerage," Akeno said.

"That's a good start. I'll admit, I'm actually surprised at how well Rias treats her Peerage, though I guess I shouldn't be: the Gremory family are known for their affectionate nature, for Devils. But I'm not just talking about friends: I think you need a lover."

Akeno was startled, but covered it up with one of her demure smiles. "Oh my, Raynare, are you volunteering?"

Raynare snorted with a smirk. "No. I'm a bit too old for you. No, I was thinking either that Yuuto Kiba, or Issei." She sighed, shaking her head, a rueful expression coming over her features. "I'm regretting making the decision to turn him into a shish-kebab, you know. Not just because I'm on thin ice with Azazel or the Devils. It's the way he treated me on our little get-together, knowing I was a Fallen. And I saw the way he looks at you."

"Raynare, every man looks at me, unless they don't swing that way. Even a few women look at me that way," Akeno giggled good-naturedly to cover her nervousness and discomfort at this line of conversation.

"Akeno…I'm not an idiot. I've also got centuries of experience you don't have. Issei's more than entranced by your tits. I wouldn't say it's love, not yet, but I think something's there. If neither of you make the first move, then someone else might snap one or the other up," Raynare said. "I mean, I'm surprised the pretty boy hasn't made his move."

"You mean Kiba? He's not like that," Akeno said. "He…has a lot of pain."

Raynare nodded. "Yeah, I think I heard about him through Azazel. He was the only survivor of the Holy Swords project, wasn't he? So you're saying he's too damaged to want to be with you?"

"Not exactly. In any case, he can have the pick of any girl in the school if he wants, and he tends to view me as a sister rather than as a possible lover," Akeno said.

"Glad to hear it. I didn't think he was gay. I think he likes teasing people by claiming that, and I think he bats for both teams, though. Anyway, I reckon Issei might be good for you. He doesn't treat Fallen as automatic enemies. Ditto with those from the Church. Hell, I'd bet if Ophis came out of the Dimensional Gap or wherever it is, he'd befriend that dragon, or try to."

* * *

Within the Dimensional Gap, a figure that looked like a cute dark-haired young girl in dark Victorian dress, but in reality, was one of the most powerful beings to ever exist, sneezed. Such a thing would have been adorable, as would the small but puzzled frown that came over her usually expressionless features, if the observers didn't know that this was the Infinite Dragon God.

"I…cannot sneeze," Ophis said quietly to herself.

* * *

Akeno was silent at Raynare's pronouncement. It was true, she was attracted to Issei, something she had confessed to Rias before. But even so, she was a little reluctant to reach out to him. True, she would flirt with him, she was good at that, and she liked to think she was friends with him. But actually trying to reach out to him?

Akeno was aware that while she was friendly with a lot of people, and could make friends readily if she wanted to (and she liked to think it was for her serene, pleasant demeanour than her figure), actually reaching out to someone was a bit more difficult. It helped that Issei knew of her heritage and didn't care. To have someone who didn't view her Fallen heritage as a taint…well, someone who would love her in a romantic sense, anyway. Rias didn't hold her heritage against her, but the two were more like sisters and friends.

"How should I go about it?" Akeno murmured, more to herself than to Raynare.

"How should I know? It can be different for different guys," Raynare said. "Did he ever have a girlfriend in his previous life?"

Akeno frowned. Issei had spoken of his time as Vivi to the Peerage. "No. He only lived for a couple of years or so, and he was basically a kid golem. If he got kissed, it was probably chaste. He said the girls were a princess his friend had fallen in love with, a woman who was basically a rat that walked on two legs, a brat with a horn and blue hair younger than he was, and a hermaphroditic glutton."

Raynare blinked. "You're fucking kidding me."

"I don't think Issei was lying, Raynare, though I admit, it was pretty weird. He actually sketched pictures of them when we asked. The rat-woman, Freya, she looks more elegant than you'd expect from a rat-woman, and according to Issei, she was far more honourable, along with her people, than you'd expect from a race of rat-people." Akeno sighed. "But Issei didn't have a girlfriend in that life. He didn't live long enough to have one, really. The only one about his age was Eiko, and she had a precocious crush on Zidane. I'll break it to him gently."

* * *

It wasn't until their break for lunch that Akeno got her chance: she wasn't training separately from the others today. Akeno could tell that they were all improving by leaps and bounds. Koneko was becoming more comfortable with her being a _nekoshou_. Not enough to use _senjutsu_ , but enough to at least relax some of the restraint she had on her feelings. Akeno was glad for her. Maybe one day, she would pluck up the courage to assume her old name, Shirone, again.

Rias had been working on both her magic and her speed. While she might not be able to use physical strength as much, she knew that standing still to charge up her Power of Destruction made her a target. Kiba also worked on his speed, while Issei worked to improve himself in general, especially his physical abilities. While he was a Bishop, he didn't want to neglect his physical abilities, especially as they were Boosted by Ddraig (she still thought of the dragon as Ddraig rather than Steiner, albeit out of habit).

Eventually, they broke off for lunch, and Akeno had Issei sit with her, a little separately from the others. Rias was going over strategy with the two Fallen, while Asia, Kiba, and Koneko were in their own little group. Which left Issei and Akeno conveniently alone.

As they ate their bento, Issei said, "It's weird, isn't it? Getting help from those two?"

"I'm getting used to it," Akeno said. "As much as I hate my lineage, I can't deny it forever." After a moment of silence, Akeno asked, "Issei…I'm going to be frank because…Raynare thinks I need someone who is more than a friend. I think she's right."

"What do you mean, Akeno?" Then, Issei blinked. "Do you mean…you want me to be your boyfriend?"

"Well, that's a start," Akeno said with a smile. "We'll put that on hold until after the Rating Game…but I want to make a start of it."

"But…why me?" Issei asked. "You could have the pick of just about anyone in Kuoh! Hell, what about Kiba?"

"Kiba…is more like a brother to me, and he knows this. We're at the just friends level. But you…you didn't hold my being a Nephilim against me. You even encouraged me to embrace it. And you taught me this new magic." Akeno smiled. "We'll give it a go, see if it works out, okay? I mean, you do like me, don't you?"

"Of course. You're kind, to your friends, anyway, and you're beautiful and smart. Only thing I don't want is the BDSM stuff. Oh, I wouldn't mind you wearing the outfits, but I'm not into the actual kinky roleplay or whatever it is."

"Oh, how disappointing," Akeno said with a slight pout, albeit a playful one.

"Oh, we could always experiment with some things if we got that far into the relationship."

"Hmm…that sounds intriguing," Akeno said, smiling again, though her voice had a somewhat lascivious purr that made Issei regret saying that.

They finished their lunch in silence. Still, the first move had been made at the very least. And that's what's needed, for someone to actually reach out, to take that first step. Because while it may end in failure…it may still end up bringing a relationship to the next level.

* * *

In the chambers of Sirzechs Lucifer, the man himself sat on an ornate chair, contemplating what Grayfia, his loving wife, had told him. He was a handsome man with a long mane of blood red hair, like his sister. Although young-looking and easy-going, one couldn't deny the power that rolled off his frame. After a moment, he said, "So, that's it. I'd say we've done a deal with the Devil, so to speak, but that's more like a joke when it comes to us. Do you think the fact that Issei and Kuja know each other will jeopardise the plan?"

"No. If anything, it'll encourage Rias' Peerage all the more to put in a good effort, including Issei," Grayfia said. "Azazel's assistance can't be discounted either, and given the rumours we have heard from the Grigori, of the factions…"

"Indeed. Though the Khaos Brigade are also of concern. But the immediate concern is dear Rias' Rating Game. Using one to break a marriage contract is unprecedented, and may cause protest. Some of us are too set in their ways."

Only Grayfia's deportment prevented her from emitting a rather unladylike scoff. After all, her husband was embarrassingly affectionate to his own sister in public, and would never change that. But the sentiment was somewhat different, obviously. It was that sentiment that led to the original Satans to be overthrown in the first place, the need to evolve, to renew. With any luck, this Rating Game would be another catalyst for needed change in the Underworld, and hopefully, Rias would get the freedom to choose her spouse along with it...

 **CHAPTER 14 ANNOTATIONS:**

 **Okay, so here's the promised Issei/Akeno, at last. The interlude with Sirzechs was something I added because I needed to up the wordcount of this chapter slightly. Yes, it probably happened sooner, but whatever. Hope you enjoyed it.**

 **No numbered annotations this time.**


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